Using mediation in situations of withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment: a New South Wales perspective.
Whether to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment from a person lacking competency is an extremely difficult decision for both the person's family and for a medical practitioner. Family members face being part of a decision which may lead to the death of a loved one. Practitioners face considerable pressure to make the right care recommendation and to protect their patient's best interests. This creates a charged emotional environment, where clear and unambiguous communication between all involved is essential. Mediation may be under-utilised in these situations, offering, as it does, the prospect of improved decision-making processes and outcomes. However, certain aspects of the American "bioethics mediation" model would not work well in New South Wales or elsewhere in Australia. Instead, a more "classical" mediation model, utilising the New South Wales Health Conciliation Registry in a new way, is preferable.
Bowen
Timothy
T
timothy.bowen@dibbsbarket.com
D006801:Humans; D017008:Negotiating; D009517:New South Wales; D028761:Withholding Treatment / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*