Abstract
Families generally serve as surrogate decision makers for hospitalized dying patients who are unable to express their own decisions regarding life-prolonging treatments. The authors interviewed family members whose relatives died in the hospital following the withdrawal of aggressive medical treatments. Interviews were at two time periods: at 1 and 6 months post-patient death. Study data indicated a core set of phases which family members experienced in the process of arriving at the decision to withdraw treatment: recognition of futility, coming to terms, shouldering the surrogate role, and facing the question. At 6 months post decision, families reflected on the need for corroborating evidence that they had made the right decision, which the authors term seeking a triangulation of certainty. Advance directives and forthright communication from clinicians were two factors that most helped family members feel more positive about events.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 426-442 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Journal of Family Nursing |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| State | Published - 1999 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Community and Home Care
- Family Practice
Cite this
Family decision making in foregoing life-extending treatments. / Tilden, Virginia; Tolle, Susan; Nelson, Christine A.; Thompson, Maye; Eggman, Susan C.
In: Journal of Family Nursing, Vol. 5, No. 4, 1999, p. 426-442.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Family decision making in foregoing life-extending treatments
AU - Tilden, Virginia
AU - Tolle, Susan
AU - Nelson, Christine A.
AU - Thompson, Maye
AU - Eggman, Susan C.
PY - 1999
Y1 - 1999
N2 - Families generally serve as surrogate decision makers for hospitalized dying patients who are unable to express their own decisions regarding life-prolonging treatments. The authors interviewed family members whose relatives died in the hospital following the withdrawal of aggressive medical treatments. Interviews were at two time periods: at 1 and 6 months post-patient death. Study data indicated a core set of phases which family members experienced in the process of arriving at the decision to withdraw treatment: recognition of futility, coming to terms, shouldering the surrogate role, and facing the question. At 6 months post decision, families reflected on the need for corroborating evidence that they had made the right decision, which the authors term seeking a triangulation of certainty. Advance directives and forthright communication from clinicians were two factors that most helped family members feel more positive about events.
AB - Families generally serve as surrogate decision makers for hospitalized dying patients who are unable to express their own decisions regarding life-prolonging treatments. The authors interviewed family members whose relatives died in the hospital following the withdrawal of aggressive medical treatments. Interviews were at two time periods: at 1 and 6 months post-patient death. Study data indicated a core set of phases which family members experienced in the process of arriving at the decision to withdraw treatment: recognition of futility, coming to terms, shouldering the surrogate role, and facing the question. At 6 months post decision, families reflected on the need for corroborating evidence that they had made the right decision, which the authors term seeking a triangulation of certainty. Advance directives and forthright communication from clinicians were two factors that most helped family members feel more positive about events.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0038502884&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0038502884
VL - 5
SP - 426
EP - 442
JO - Journal of Family Nursing
JF - Journal of Family Nursing
SN - 1074-8407
IS - 4
ER -