Seeing the Patient and Family Through: Nurses and Physicians Experiences With Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Therapy in the ICU.

Seeing the Patient and Family Through: Nurses and Physicians Experiences With Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Therapy in the ICU. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2018 Sep 24;:1049909118801011 Authors: Wiegand DL, Cheon J, Netzer G Abstract Withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy at the end of life is a complex phenomenon. Intensive care nurses and physicians are faced with caring for patients and supporting families, as these difficult decisions are made. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experience of critical care nurses and physicians participating in the process of withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to guide this qualitative investigation. Interviews were conducted with critical care nurses and physicians from 2 medical centers. An inductive approach to data analysis was used to understand similarities between the nurses and the physicians' experiences. Methodological rigor was established, and data saturation was achieved. The main categories that were inductively derived from the data analysis included from novice to expert, ensuring ethical care, uncertainty to certainty, facilitating the process, and preparing and supporting families. The categories aided in understanding the experiences of nurses and physicians, as they worked individually and together to see patients and families through the entire illness experience, withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy deci...
Source: The American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care - Category: Palliative Care Authors: Tags: Am J Hosp Palliat Care Source Type: research