Preferences for parent-centered vs medical team-centered decision making among parents of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may vary systematically by the characteristics of particular clinical decisions, according to a recent study. This cross-sectional survey assessed parents’ preferences for parent- vs medical team–centered decision making across 16 clinical decisions, along with parents’ assessments of 7 characteristics of those decisions. Respondents included 136 parents of infants in 1 of 3 academically affiliated hospital NICUs in Philadelphia, PA, from January 7 to July 8, 2016. Respondents represented a wide range of educational levels, employment status, and household income but were predominantly female (109 [80.1%]), white (68 [50.0%]) or African American (53 [39.0%]), and married (81 of 132 responding [61.4%]). Researchers found:

• Among total respondents, preferences for parent-centered decision making were positively associated with decisions that involved big-picture goals and that had the potential to harm the infant.
• In contrast, preferences for parent-centered decision making were inversely associated with the following 4 decision characteristics:

1. technical decisions,
2. the potential to benefit the infant,
3. requiring medical expertise, and
4. a high level of urgency.