title: Palliative and End-of-Life Ethical Dilemmas in the Intensive Care Unit.
abstract: Critical care nurses and advanced practice registered nurses frequently face bioethical dilemmas in clinical practice that are related to palliative and end-of-life care. Many of these dilemmas are associated with decisions made concerning continuing, limiting, or withdrawing life-sustaining treatments. The purpose of this article is to describe common ethical challenges through case study presentations and discuss approaches that critical care nurses and advanced practice registered nurses in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team can use to address these challenges. Resources that may be helpful in managing ethical dilemmas are identified.
authors.affiliation: Debra L. Wiegand is Associate Professor, University of Maryland School of Nursing, 655 West Lombard Street, Office 404P, Baltimore, MD 21201 (wiegand@son.umaryland.edu). Julia MacMillan is Palliative Care Coordinator and Co-Chair Danbury Hospital Ethics Committee, Chair Nursing Ethics Committee, Danbury Hospital, Western Ct. Health Network, Danbury Hospital, Danbury, Connecticut. Maiara Rogrigues dos Santos is Doctoral Student, School of Nursing, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Regina Szylit Bousso is Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Debra L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Wiegand
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: MacMillan
authors.forename: Maiara Rogrigues
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.forename: Regina Szylit
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Bousso
mesh_terms: D057179:Advanced Practice Nursing / Q000941:ethics*; D064648:Critical Care Nursing / Q000941:ethics*; D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics*; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000941:ethics*; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000941:ethics*