Disclosure of Pathology to the Newborn’s Family

Abstract

Care of high-risk newborns often involves complex ethical problems, such as quick decisions about questions with a high degree of uncertainty. It is not always possible to define recovery, establish a long-term prognosis or predict future quality of life. This indicates the complexity of factors involved in relating to parents. I have been working for 20 years in the Neonatal and Intensive Care Unit of San Gerardo Hospital, Monza. I am also the president of an association of families with handicapped children (Gli Amici di Giovanni), which is affiliated with the national association “Famiglie per l’Accoglienza”. I am not an expert in communicating, but all neonatologists have had to break “bad news”, such as neonatal pathology, to parents, and have therefore had occasion to reflect on this experience. I shall touch on some points that seem important in the dynamics of communication between neonatologists and parents. I shall start with some data relating to my back-ground experience.