Surrogates' perceptions about feeding tube placement decisions.
OBJECTIVE
(1) To determine surrogates perceptions about who made the decision to place the feeding tube and who they would have preferred to have made the decision. (2) To determine surrogates' perceptions of the information they received to make this decision.


METHODS
Structured interviews with 246 surrogate decision-makers.


RESULTS
Fifty-five percent of surrogates felt that the decision was made primarily by the surrogate, but 75% would prefer that the decision be shared with the physician. Surrogates reported that they discussed the benefits (80%) and the risks (72%) of feeding tube placement and discussed what life would be like with the feeding tube (65%) and without the feeding tube (67%). They also reported being asked if they understood the information (85%) and their thoughts about placement (56%). Despite receiving this information, 28 to 41% reported wanting more information about these aspects.


CONCLUSIONS
Surrogates would have preferred greater physician participation in decisions about feeding tube placement and many reported that their informational needs were not completely met.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that physicians may be justified in taking a more active role in feeding tube decisions with surrogates and that many surrogates desire more information than is required by standards of informed decision making.
Lewis
Carmen L
CL
Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 5039 Old Clinic Building 229, CB#7110, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7110, USA. carmen_lewis@med.unc.edu
Hanson
Laura C
LC
Golin
Carol
C
Garrett
Joanne M
JM
Cox
Christopher E
CE
Jackman
Anne
A
Phifer
Nancy
N
Carey
Timothy S
TS
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003657:Decision Making; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005774:Gastrostomy / Q000523:psychology*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D016224:Living Wills; D008297:Male; D009657:North Carolina; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D018579:Patient Selection; D010819:Physician's Role / Q000523:psychology; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D019727:Proxy / Q000523:psychology*; D012380:Role; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D020458:Third-Party Consent; D035501:Uncertainty; D028761:Withholding Treatment