The
legal and ethical debate about infant euthanasia continues to rage on
worldwide, with countries adopting vastly different laws for cases
involving newborns with devastating illnesses.
In
the May-June 2008 issue of Pediatric Nursing journal, Anita J. Catlin
and Renee Novakovich analyze this controversial issue and describe how
a protocol in The Netherlands has influenced opinions in the United
States.
After
caring for an infant girl with a fatal skin disease in The Netherlands,
Dr. E. Verhagen, a clinical director at the University Medical Center
in Groningen, felt he failed to humanely end the child’s suffering.
Fearing legal consequences, Verhagen sent the child home and she died
six months later. The case inspired him to become an advocate for
infant euthanasia in extreme cases and he developed the Groningen
Protocol. As a result, an advisory committee in The Netherlands now
reviews cases for compliance with the protocol and euthanasia is
allowed, albeit under stringent circumstances.
In
the United States and most other nations, however, “direct medical
euthanasia of infants (as distinct from withholding or withdrawal of
certain life-prolonging therapies) is not legal,” according to Catlin
and Novakovich. Because the issue is so complex, the American Nurses’
Association (ANA) has been working to define for nurses the differences
between euthanasia, assistance in dying and palliative care, with the
last two being mandatory actions for all nurses.
While
opponents of the Groningen Protocol label it “murder” and supporters
consider it “beneficence,” countries must continue to examine the
moral, medical, ethical and legal aspects, the authors write. This will
help health care professionals provide the most “dignified, loving, and
comfortable living and dying experiences for infants and support for
their families.” (The Groningen Protocol: What Is It, How Do the Dutch
Use It, and Do We Use It Here?; Anita J. Catlin, DNSc, FNP, FAAN; Renee
Novakovich, RN; Pediatric Nursing, May-June 2008,
www.pediatricnursing.net)
Online Support Groups Can Help Asthma Caregivers Cope
Asthma
is an unpredictable and chronic condition. While doctors and nurses
provide health care for their pediatric patients, managing the disease
day-to-day falls upon parents, a responsibility that can be extremely
demanding.
In
the May-June 2008 issue of Pediatric Nursing journal, Claire F.
Sullivan examines an online asthma caregiver group to tap into their
frustrations and challenges. The goal of her analysis was to help
health care professionals better understand and address patient care
and family concerns.
Sullivan found that five common themes emerged:
- Monitoring.
The most common caregiver was the child’s mother. These individuals
were frustrated by the constant surveillance needed due to their
child’s exposure to environmental triggers.
- Fitting the pieces together. Medications, testing and equipment use caused confusion among the mothers.
- Second
guessing the doctor and the doctor second guessing caregivers. Mothers
wrote often about communication problems and lack of guidance about
treatment.
- Responsibility. The mothers were overwhelmed and many did not get support from their husbands.
- Bonding.
The online group provided validation and empathy. The contact reduced
mothers’ feelings of isolation and gave them a forum to vent their
frustration and share experiences.
According
to Sullivan, nurses may encourage caregivers to participate in online
support groups to help increase their empowerment and knowledge. In
addition, nurses may benefit from participating in the online groups
themselves and reading the discussions to better understand caregivers’
issues. While misinformation is possible among these groups, Sullivan
writes that “online support groups may be the next major advance in
e-health services for patients and caregivers.” (Cybersupport:
Empowering Asthma Caregivers [Continuing Nursing Education Series];
Claire F. Sullivan, PhD; Pediatric Nursing, May-June 2008,
www.pediatricnursing.net)
Members of the media:
Feel
free to use these news briefs as filler in your publications. For more
information, or if you would like to interview one of the authors,
contact Janet D’Alesandro at janetd@ajj.com or 856-256-2422..
# # #
Pediatric
Nursing is a clinically-based journal focusing on the needs of
professionals in pediatric practice, research, administration and
education.
