Premature Baby Boy Case Study

Ana is a pregnant 17 year-old farm labor worker. Her placenta erupted at 30 weeks during her pregnancy and an emergency C-section was performed. Her baby is a high risk in the NICU with low APGAR scores, neonatal encephalopathy, seizures and poor prognosis. His survival rate is low with chances of neurological damage. Doctors want to continue treatment while Ana wants to take home the baby for palliative care. There are many studies that prove premature babies do have a chance of survival, but there are other studies that show because he is a boy his chances are lower along with other difficulties. There are communication issues in this case because Ana only speaks Spanish and she is given all the medical information in English. Legally the hospital should have translators for her. Her Catholic religion and Latina culture impact her decision making along with having her family there for support. Keywords: neonatal encephalopathy, seizures, palliative care, farm labor work, Latina, Catholic, translators Placental Abruption and …show more content…
The premature baby boy has more than one issue with a low APGAR score, neonatal encephalopathy, small gestational and seizure for the past five days. Studies show that boy’s have a smaller chance of survival than girls. Systems issue in this case is due to lack of communication and translation services for Ana who only speaks Spanish. There are many cultural factors that affect her decision making in this case and agreeing to what doctor’s ask is a sign of respect rather than understanding. Her Catholic religion is another factor that influences her to decide what she would rather have the baby go through. The ethical issue in this case is due to lack of communication. The options are to continue aggressive treatment with a low chance of survival and possible neurological impairments or allow the family to take the baby home for palliative care and discontinue