title: A qualitative study of family involvement in decisions about life support in the intensive care unit.
abstract: We explored family involvement in decisions about life support interventions in the intensive care unit study using a critical incident technique to focus on specific case exemplars contributed by participants. A total of 6 family members and 9 health care professionals were interviewed. Participants described 2 options (life support or comfort care) and values associated with options: maintaining quality of life, surviving critical illness, minimizing pain and suffering, not being attached to machines, needing adjustment time, and judicious health care resource use. Barriers to involvement included not being offered alternative options; no specific trigger to initiate decision making; dominant influence of professionals' values; and families lacking understandable information. Family members are unlikely to engage in decision making unless professionals identify the decision and address other barriers to family involvement.
authors: School of Nursing, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. jennifer.kryworuchko@usask.ca
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Kryworuchko
authors: Dawn
authors: D
authors: Stacey
authors: Wendy E
authors: WE
authors: Peterson
authors: Daren K
authors: DK
authors: Heyland
authors: Ian D
authors: ID
authors: Graham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003657:Decision Making; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008020:Life Support Care / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario; D010166:Palliative Care; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D028761:Withholding Treatment; D055815:Young Adult