When a patient is in a critical medical situation, it is extremely challenging for healthcare professionals to make decisions regarding the patient’s life-sustaining treatment, discharge from the intensive care unit and death. The two special interest groups that strongly disagree on end-of-life decisions are family members and healthcare professionals. The perception of family members is that physicians should actively engage them in end-of-life decision making (Van Keer, et al., 2015). Besides, they perceive the decision by healthcare professionals to withdraw medical therapy as an act intended to kill the patient. Family members use their religion and culture as a source of cure expectations (Van Keer, et al., 2015). Due to religion, family members believe that it is only God/Allah who can decide over the life and death of their patient. Similarly, others believe that only family members can see when someone is going to die.

According to healthcare professionals, withdrawing futile medical therapy is a medical decision. Additionally, citing Van Keer, et al. (2015), they have the necessary medical expertise, and it is rational to make such decisions. In a medical profession, the deontological code prohibits futile medical therapy; therefore, when physicians find out that there are no positive changes in the patient’s conditions, they have the right to discuss with family members on decisions regarding life-sustaining therapy.

I am more sympathetic to family members because they are not only concerned with the biological, social and religious needs of the patient but the needs of the whole family. Although it is hard for family members to make end-of-life decisions, it would be appropriate if they agree with the healthcare professionals on the prognosis. Physicians and family members should ensure that they have similar views of prognosis.

Reference

Van Keer, R. L., Deschepper, R., Francke, A. L., Huyghens, L., & Bilsen, J. (2015). Conflicts between healthcare professionals and families of a multi-ethnic patient population during critical care: an ethnographic study. Critical Care, 19(1), 441.

 
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