25 min

2019 National Paediatric Bioethics Conference - The Twilight Zone Essential Ethics

    • Medicine

Sometimes newborn infants have multiple congenital abnormalities. Each of them may be treatable on its own. However, the overall prognosis can mean that it's unclear whether embarking on active treatment is in the best interests of the child. This is the ‘twilight zone’ where the gap between harm and best interests is hard to determine. The twilight zone can take its toll on parents and clinicians, as Dr Trisha Prentice, Neonatologist at The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne explained at the 2019 National Children's Bioethics Conference at RCH.

Sometimes newborn infants have multiple congenital abnormalities. Each of them may be treatable on its own. However, the overall prognosis can mean that it's unclear whether embarking on active treatment is in the best interests of the child. This is the ‘twilight zone’ where the gap between harm and best interests is hard to determine. The twilight zone can take its toll on parents and clinicians, as Dr Trisha Prentice, Neonatologist at The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne explained at the 2019 National Children's Bioethics Conference at RCH.

25 min