Fine vita in neonatologia : una ricerca qualitativa

The end of life in neonatology reveals delicate and complex issues as well as levels of analysis in every single specific case that are all closely related to the child's best interest, to parenthood and to the undelayable need of a clear legal framework of reference. However, though the end of life in neonatology is characterized by peculiar clinical, psychological and ethical features, it seems to reveal the same dynamics of adults' end of life, despite some differences. Through the awareness that the effectiveness and rationality of contemporary medicine are related to principles of appropriateness and to the specificity of the individual clinical cases, this research investigates the dynamics underlying medical decisions about the end of life in neonatology in life-limiting conditions. [Publishers' text].