Withholding/Withdrawing Life-Sustaining Treatment in a Multiethnic Critical Care Setting: An Ethnographic Study

Background: Critical care physicians often have to make challenging decisions withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatments. As a result of society's increasingly cultural diversity such decision making involves patients from ethnic minority groups, which might pose extra challenges. Objective: To investigate withholding/withdrawing treatments with groups and their families during critical care. Design: Ethnographic fieldwork (observations, in-depth interviews reading patients' medical files). Setting/Subjects: Eighteen relatives, nurses were studied in one intensive unit multi-ethnic urban hospital (Belgium). Results: During had very central role. The contribution was limited, while families' input more noticeable. Decision hampered by communication difficulties between: (1) staff relative(s), (2) (3) patient relative(s). Different approaches used overcome difficulties, reflected tendency control making, for example, stressing At times inability align wishes own, when without explicitly informing relatives. Conclusions: Withholding/withdrawing critic context has number alarming as how take correctly into account. It is important that happens sensitive way involvement tailored relatives' needs close consultation interprofessional health workers/other services.