title: When surrogate decision-making is not straightforward. Guidelines for nurse administrators.
abstract: When ethical or pragmatic questions arise concerning surrogate decision-making, nurse administrators often are consulted, so they must be knowledgeable about current legislation as well as the surrogate decision-maker's role and ethical obligations. Case exemplars are presented in this article to facilitate the reader's awareness on how value conflicts and communication failures can complicate surrogate decision-making. Recommendations for clinical practice and research are presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Adult Health Nursing, Program in Ethics, Department of Religion, Health and Human Values, Rush University, Chicago, Ill., USA.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bosek
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Savage
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Renella
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D016743:Mental Competency; D009718:Nurse Administrators; D020458:Third-Party Consent / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*