Nurses' conceptions of decision making concerning life-sustaining treatment

• The aim of this study was to describe nurses' conceptions of decision making with regard to life-sustaining treatment for dialysis patients. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 nurses caring for such patients at three hospitals. The interview material was subjected to qualitative content analysis. The nurses saw decision making as being characterized by uncertainty and by lack of communication and collaboration among all concerned. They described different ways of handling decision making, as well as insufficiency of physician-nurse collaboration, lack of confidence in physicians, hindrances to patient participation, and ambivalence about the role of patients' next of kin. Future research should test models for facilitating communication and decision making so that decisions will emerge from collaboration of all concerned. Nurses' role in decision making also needs to be discussed.

Subject headings

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

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

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Anestesi och intensivvård (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Anesthesiology and Intensive Care (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Kirurgi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Surgery (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Filosofi, etik och religion -- Religionsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Philosophy, Ethics and Religion -- Religious Studies (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Medicinsk etik (hsv//swe)

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

Keyword

Adaptation; Psychological

Adult

Attitude of Health Personnel

Communication Barriers

Conflict (Psychology)

Cooperative Behavior

Decision Making/ethics

Family/psychology

Humans

Life Support Care/ethics/*psychology

Nursing

Nurse's Role/psychology

Nursing Methodology Research

Nursing Staff; Hospital/ethics/*psychology

Patient Advocacy

Ethics

Patient Participation

Physician-Nurse Relations

Power (Psychology)

Qualitative Research

Sweden

Uncertainty

Caring sciences

Vårdvetenskap

Nursing

Omvårdnad

MEDICINE

Ethics

Intensive care

Surgery

HUMANITIES and RELIGION

Religion/Theology

Caring Sciences w. Medical Focus

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)