issues within the nicu

There was a very recent thread in here about resuscitating babies who were on the very borderline of viability, and whether or not these babies should be resuscitated because very few survive to discharge, and even then, most of them must deal with lifetime disabilities (cerebral palsy, affects of ROP, hearing, speech disorders. the list goes on). You may want to read the thread. If I can find it, I will post the link, but it was something like "Anyone seen a 22 weeker survive?" or something close.

ETA: Here's the link: Any 22 weekers out there? - Nursing for Nurses

Hope this gives you some ideas. Good luck on your paper!

Here's an issue that comes up a lot in our NICU.

How do you deal with relationships of parents that you don't personally agree with? Examples: 23yo mom with 16yo dad or 17yo mom with 47yo "dad".

How about the ethical issues relating to pain control in the neonate. For a long time there was an argument out there that stated neonates don't feel pain. We know now it's not true but how exactly do you manage pain in someone so young?

This is a big one too...........think about you as the nurse, taking care of a baby that will have no quality of life for whatever reason, but yet the parents are "holding out for a miracle" and want everything done to prolong the life of that child.

How do you deal with parents that never come in to visit their baby when the hospital is paying for them to stay at a nice place within walking distance (2 blocks away)?