Perception of health status and quality of life of extremely low-birth weight survivors. The consumer, the provider, and the child.

In neonatal intensive care, parents make important clinical management decisions in conjunction with health professionals. Little information is available in the literature, however, on whether the preferences of health care professionals, parents, and children differ for the resulting health outcomes. This article compares the preferences of these stakeholders for four to five hypothetical health states that are common to extremely low-birth weight infants. The findings have conceptual and practical implications for decision making in the neonatal intensive care unit.