In China, neonatal death on 2019 was 3.5 per 1000 live births, which counts around 57,000 deaths. In mainland China, parents are mostly the main decision-makers in withdrawing life-sustaining treatments in infants and neonatologists often follow the wishes of the parents. However, there is limited experience in supporting parents after the decision is made to withdraw treatment. The aim of this study was to develop and test a family supportive end-of-life care intervention to decrease parental depression and increase parent satisfaction. Investigators indicated that providing a comfortable environment and supportive care to parents during the final days of life of an infant decrease their depression and increases parent satisfaction. The NICUs in mainland China and beyond might consider involving parents in end-of-life care by providing a single room, have a dedicated psychologist available and provide supportive commemoration materials.
Inclusion Criteria: * Infants whose treatment was withdrawn at Corrected Gestational Age (CGA) less than 28 days and their parents. Exclusion Criteria: * Infants with an expected time of death less than three hours after NICU admission. Parents were excluded if they had mental health or language issues that might limit their integration and communication with the healthcare team.