ABSTRACT
Sociologists who have studied neonatal intensive care have approached life-and-death decisions from a normative standpoint. This view, written largely from a structural-functional perspective, assumes that life-and-death decisions are the product of consensual norms and values, transmitted through professional socialization. A number of sources of information may be used in making predictions in medical settings; each differs in the degree of patient contact that is required. Technological cues refer to information obtained by means of diagnostic technology. Technological cues refer to any type of information obtained by the use of measurement instrument, including the most simple. The technological cues that were cited most frequently include: laboratory data, bloodgases, weight gain, vital signs, respirator setting, monitors, and radiological evidence. Physicians have medical knowledge but may lack potentially valuable sources of information that can be acquired only through interaction with infants. Organizations allocate different types of information to the participants in life-and-death decisions.
