Patient participation in decision making at the end of life as seen by a close relative

• The aim of the present study was to describe variations in patientparticipation in decisions about care planningduring the final phase of life for a group of gravely ill patients, and how the different actors’manner of acting promotes or impedes patientparticipation. Thirty-seven qualitative research interviewswere conducted with relatives of the patients.The patients’ participation in the decisionscould be categorized into four variations: self-determination,co-determination, delegation and nonparticipation.The manner in which patients, relatives andcaregivers acted differed in the respective variations; thisseemed either to promote or to impede the patients’opportunities of participating in the decisionmaking. The possibility for participation seems to be context dependent and affected by many factors suchas the dying patient’s personality, thesocial network, the availability of different forms of care,cultural values, and the extent to which nursesand other caregivers of the different formsof care can and want to support the wishes of the patients andrelatives in the decision-making process.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

decision making

nursing ethics

qualitative method

terminal care

Vårdvetenskap

Nursing Science

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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