Relatives' knowledge of decision making in intensive care.

ABSTRACT:

Background/aim

The law on consent has changed in Scotland with the introduction of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. This Act introduces the concept of proxy consent in Scotland. Many patients in intensive care are unable to participate in the decision making process because of their illness and its treatment. It is normal practice to provide relatives with information on the patient's condition, treatment, and prognosis as a substitute for discussion directly with the patient. The relatives of intensive care patients appeared to believe that they already had the right to consent on behalf of an incapacitated adult. The authors' aim was to assess the level of knowledge among relatives of intensive care patients of both the old and new law using a structured questionna

SUBMITTER: Booth MG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1733945 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature