Ethical considerations in the prehospital treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A multi-centre, qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Prehospital emergency physicians have to navigate complex decision-making in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) treatment that includes ethical considerations. This study explores Danish prehospital physicians' experiences of ethical issues influencing their decision-making during OHCA.

Methods

We conducted a multisite ethnographic study. Through convenience sampling, we included 17 individual interviews with prehospital physicians and performed 22 structured observations on the actions of the prehospital personnel during OHCAs. We collected data during more than 800 observation hours in the Danish prehospital setting between December 2019 and April 2022. Data were analysed with thematic analysis.

Results

All physicians experienced ethical considerations

SUBMITTER: Milling L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10370897 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature