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ISSN 2063-5346
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End of Intensive Treatment in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Attitude and Awareness of The Lebanese Neonatologists And Residents

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Lea Chokr, Marly Azzi, Anthony Chalfoun, Nawfal Nawfal, Imad Chokr, Fadi Abou-Mrad
» doi: 10.31838/ecb/2023.12.si7.285

Abstract

End-of-treatment decisions oftentimes surfaces when a newborn baby, or neonatal, is most likely going to suffer a disability or an unpreventable death. These decisions are surrounded by a plethora of legal and ethical considerations and obstacles. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the perspective of Lebanese neonatologists and pediatric residents toward end-of-intensive treatment in neonates. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study. The study included 36 neonatologists and 59 pediatric residents with an experience of at least 6 months in NICU. Participants were recruited from different areas in Lebanon using social media platforms. The survey included socio-demographic data, perspective about end-of-treatment decisions, attitude towards end-of-treatment, and the Neonatal Palliative Care Attitude Scale (NPCAS). Data was analyzed using SPSS 25. Results: Majority of participants were Lebanese (96.8%), 62 were females (65.3%), with an average age of 36.4 (13.7) years. Among participants, 22 (23.2%) are familiar with Leonetti's law, but they do not apply it, 12 (12.6%) are familiar with Leonetti's law, and they do apply it, whereas 61 (64.2%) are not familiar with Leonetti's law. Out of 95 participants, 19 (20%) were against end-of-intensive treatment, 33 (34.7%) had neutral opinion towards it, and 43 (45.3%) were supportive. Attitude towards end-of-intensive treatment was related to religion (34.7%), social and moral values (51.6%), belief that a doctor's duty is to stay hopeful no matter what (32.6%), and that a doctor's duty is to end the suffering of his/her patient (31.6%). The average of NPCAS was 39.25 (7.52) over 60, showing moderate attitude towards Neonatal Palliative Care. Conclusion: In order to improve knowledge, attitude, and practice, this study emphasized the significance of educating parents and fostering greater parent-physician communication.

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