title: Honoring patient care preferences: surrogates speak.
abstract: A growing body of evidence has pointed to the stressful experience surrounding surrogate decision-making on behalf of incapacitated patients. This study (N = 59) asked surrogates to speak about their experiences immediately after having made a life-sustaining treatment decision. Grounded theory analysis revealed four themes: (1) the emotional impact of the decision-making process on the surrogate; (2) the difficulty of watching a loved one's health deteriorate; (3) the importance of having a Living Will (LW) or other written/verbal instructions; and (4) the reliance on spirituality as a means of coping with the surrogate experience. Findings of this study suggest that engaging surrogates at the time of patient admission may be essential in order to clarify patient preferences and strengthen communication between surrogates and the interdisciplinary healthcare team.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of Central Florida, Orlando 32816, USA. Julia.Buckey@ucf.edu
authors.forename: Julia W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Buckey
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Molina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016223:Advance Directives / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D001293:Attitude to Death; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D003657:Decision Making; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019727:Proxy / Q000523:psychology*; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology*; D019452:Terminally Ill