Argumentation in end-of-life conversations with families in Dutch intensive care units: a qualitative observational study.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

In intensive care units (ICUs), decisions about the continuation or discontinuation of life-sustaining treatment (LST) are made on a daily basis. Professional guidelines recommend an open exchange of standpoints and underlying arguments between doctors and families to arrive at the most appropriate decision. Yet, it is still largely unknown how doctors and families argue in real-life conversations. This study aimed to (1) identify which arguments doctors and families use in support of standpoints to continue or discontinue LST, (2) investigate how doctors and families structure their arguments, and (3) explore how their argumentative practices unfold during conversations.

Method

A qualitative inductive thematic analysis of 101 audio-recorded conversations between doc

SUBMITTER: Akkermans A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10119246 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature