Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition
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Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed. · Mar 2002
Do Not Resuscitate orders and ethical decisions in a neonatal intensive care unit in a Muslim community.
To evaluate the need for Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders in a tertiary referral centre for neonatal intensive care, the criteria used in making these decisions, and the applicability of the Muslim ethical stance among parents in an Islamic community. ⋯ Asking parents alone to be explicitly involved or take full responsibility for decisions involving life and death is not culturally or socially acceptable in this community. Presence of extended family, and indirectly sounding out and taking into account their wishes, is more appropriate after assessing the resources and support services available.