The role of teams in resolving moral distress in intensive care unit decision-making

Conflicts arise within teams and with family members in end-of-life decision-making in critical care. This creates unnecessary discomfort for all involved, including the patient. Treatment plans driven by crisis open the team up to conflict, fragmented care and a lack of focus on the patient’s wishes and realistic medical outcomes. Methods to resolve these issues involve planned ethical reviews and team meetings where open communication, clear plans and involvement in decision-making for all stakeholders occur. In spite of available literature supporting the value of these techniques, patient care teams and families continue to find themselves involved in spiraling conflict, pitting one team against another, placing blame on family members for not accepting decisions made by the team and creating moral conflict for interdisciplinary team members. Through a case presentation, we review processes available to help resolve conflict and to improve outcome.