ArticleJournal of palliative medicine2018
End-of-Life Decision Making in Palliative Care and Recommendations of the Council of Europe: Qualitative Secondary Analysis of Interviews and Observation Field Notes.
Article in Journal of palliative medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Ethical dilemmas in the care of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias unable to give informed consent: positioning Lebanon within the Global North-South context.BMC medical ethics · 2025Pooled it
- Attitudes of undergraduate medical students towards end-of-life decisions: a systematic review of influencing factors.BMC medical education · 2025Pooled it
- Patients' perceptions of autonomy in palliative care: Two patient interview exemplars.Palliative care and social practice · 2026Article
- Healthcare Professionals' Perspective on Supporting Patients and Family Caregivers in End-Of-Life Care Decision-Making: A Qualitative Study in Specialist Palliative Care.The American journal of hospice & palliative care · 2025Article
- Understanding the Influence of Culture on End-of-Life, Palliative, and Hospice Care: A Narrative Review.Cureus · 2025Review
- Article
- Navigating end-of-life decision-making in nursing: a systematic review of ethical challenges and palliative care practices.BMC nursing · 2024Article
- What are the triggers for palliative care referral in burn intensive care units? Results from a qualitative study based on healthcare professionals' views, clinical experiences and practices.Palliative medicine · 2024Article
- A bioethical perspective on the meanings behind a wish to hasten death: a meta-ethnographic review.BMC medical ethics · 2024Review
- Review
- Review
- Association between participation in sports club activities and decision-making preferences in end-of-life treatment among Japanese elderly people:a cross-sectional study.Fukushima journal of medical science · 2021Article
- Shared decision-making in the ICU from the perspective of physicians, nurses and patients: a qualitative interview study.BMJ open · 2021Article
- Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Children With Life-Limiting Conditions Receiving Palliative Home Care.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEnd-of-life decisions (ELDs) are embedded in clinical, sociocultural, political, economic, and ethical concerns. In 2014, the Council of Europe (CoE) through its Committee on Bioethics launched the "Guide on the decision-making process regarding medical treatment in end-of-life situations," aiming at improving decision-making processes and empowering professionals in making ELDs.
objectiveTo analyze if end-of-life decision making in palliative care (PC) is consistent with this Guide and to identify if disputed/controversial issues are part of current ELDs.
designQualitative secondary analysis. SETTING/SUBJECTS: Four qualitative datasets, including 44 interviews and 9 team observation field notes from previous studies with PC teams/professionals in Portugal. MEASUREMENTS: An analysis grid based on the abovementioned guide was created considering three dimensions: ethical and legal frameworks, decision-making process, and disputed/controversial issues.
resultsThe majority of the professionals considered the ethical principle of autonomy paramount in end-of-life decision making. Justice and beneficence/nonmaleficence were also valued. Although not mentioned in the Guide, the professionals also considered other ethical principles when making ELDs, namely, responsibility, integrity, and dignity. Most of the interviewees and field notes referred to the collective interprofessional dimension of the decision-making process. Palliative sedation and the wish to hasten death were the most mentioned disputed/controversial issues. The nature, limitations, and benefits of qualitative secondary analysis are discussed.
conclusionsEnd-of-life decision-making processes made by Portuguese PC teams seem to be consistent with the guidelines of the CoE. Further research is needed about disputed/controversial issues and the actual use, effectiveness, and impact of ethical guidelines for end-of-life decision making on professionals' empowerment and for all parties involved.
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