End-of-Life Healthcare Sessions at ASBH 2017

Conclusion: Patients with LEP had significant differences and disparities in end-of-life decision-making. Interventions to facilitate informed decision-making for those with LEP is a crucial component of care for this group. THU 1:30 pm:  “But She’ll Die if You Don’t!”: Understanding and Communicating Risks at the End of Life (Janet Malek) Clinicians sometimes decline to offer interventions even if their refusal will result in an earlier death for their patients. For example, a nephrologist may decide against initiating hemodialysis despite a patient’s rising creatinine levels if death is expected within weeks even with dialysis. Although clinicians can describe their reasons for not offering an intervention (often related to overall prognosis, suffering, and mental status) toward the end of life, their reasoning has not been explored in detail or described in a nuanced way. Anecdotal experience as well as published scholarship suggests that clinicians decline treatment if “the risks outweigh the benefits.” This facile explanation does not adequately address concerns of a family member who wants to give their loved one every possible chance, arguing, “But she’ll die if you don’t! What do we have to lose?” In an attempt to bridge this impasse often encountered by clinical ethics consultants and critical care physicians, we conducted interviews with physicians (intensivists, oncologists, surgeons, and...
Source: blog.bioethics.net - Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Tags: Health Care syndicated Source Type: blogs