Considerations of physicians about the depth of palliative sedation at the end of life.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Although guidelines advise titration of palliative sedation at the end of life, in practice the depth of sedation can range from mild to deep. We investigated physicians' considerations about the depth of continuous sedation.

Methods

We performed a qualitative study in which 54 physicians underwent semistructured interviewing about the last patient for whom they had been responsible for providing continuous palliative sedation. We also asked about their practices and general attitudes toward sedation.

Results

We found two approaches toward the depth of continuous sedation: starting with mild sedation and only increasing the depth if necessary, and deep sedation right from the start. Physicians described similar determinants for both approaches, including ti

SUBMITTER: Swart SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3328540 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature