24 Just because we can, does it mean we should?
Matter for discussion submitted by the RCN Paediatric and Neonatal Care Forum
That this meeting of RCN Congress discusses the medical and technological advances in patient care and the ethical dilemmas faced in clinical practice
Work led by the RCN Nursing Development Committee.
The debate at Congress 2008 centred on how medical and technological advances in patient care are resulting in an increasing number of ethical dilemmas faced in clinical practice in neo-natal care. It was agreed that ensuring the needs of the child, and the views of the parent or carer, are considered as a priority. There was also agreement that health care providers need to recognise the importance of clinical and ethical teams to support practitioners in their day-to-day practice, and that ethical multi-professional decision-making frameworks which emphasise best interest principles need to be in place.
Issues and points raised during the debate at Congress 2008 have been reinforced in key speeches and media releases by RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary Dr Peter Carter and at key meetings with chief nursing officers, the secretary of state, and ministers.
The RCN has striven to ensure it is engaged in the development of ethical and decision-making frameworks with other professional bodies and was involved in the recent update and review of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) guidance Withholding or withdrawing life sustaining treatment in children: a framework for practice. Articles on ethical decision-making issues in paediatric and neonatal nursing have also been published within the nursing press.
RCN Northern Ireland is currently working in partnership with the European Centre for Connected Health, based in Belfast, to promote the nursing contribution to the e-health agenda and ensure that new technologies are applied in accordance with the interests of patients and clients.