Values underlying end-of-life decisions: a qualitative approach.
The purpose of the study discussed in this article was to reveal the values that would receive priority attention when considering end-of-life decisions. Nineteen elderly Israelis and their 28 family members participated in individual interviews that were analyzed using a hermeneutic phenomenological method. Analysis of the transcripts indicated that participants considered a unique set of value priorities that raised different considerations in each off our domains of life: physical-biological, social-psychological, familial, and societal. Three transcendent values crossed all four life domains: dignity, quality of life, and quality of death. These value considerations are useful information for social workers who consult patients and family members at times of end-of-life decisions.
Leichtentritt
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Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel. ronitl@post.tau.ac.il
Rettig
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D000368:Aged; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003657:Decision Making; D028601:Euthanasia, Active / Q000523:psychology; D005066:Euthanasia, Passive / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012945:Social Values; D017236:Suicide, Assisted / Q000523:psychology; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology*; D026712:Value of Life; D028761:Withholding Treatment