Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35398947›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of neurology2022

Physicians' decision-making when managing pediatric patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness: A qualitative study.

Federica Merlo, Roberto Malacrida, Samia Hurst, Claudio L A Bassetti, Emiliano Albanese, Marta Fadda

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of neurology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Guideline
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Federica MerloSasso Corbaro Foundation, Bellinzona, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-6201-6206
Roberto MalacridaSasso Corbaro Foundation, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
Samia HurstInstitute for Ethics, History, and the Humanities, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Claudio L A BassettiDepartment of Neurology, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-4535-0245
Emiliano AlbaneseFaculty of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Public Health, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
Marta FaddaFaculty of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Public Health, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
Scuola Cantonale di Commercio Bellinzona · CHUniversità della Svizzera italiana · CHUniversity of Bern · CHUniversity of Geneva · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

background and purposeAdvances in medicine have resulted in treatments that can extend the survival of patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (PDOC) for several years. However, several diagnostic and prognostic uncertainties remain, particularly in the care of pediatric patients. In the absence of international guidelines, we aimed to explore physicians' decision-making when managing pediatric patients with PDOC.

methodsWe conducted a qualitative study using semistructured, individual interviews and employed an inductive thematic analytical approach to explore physicians' subjective experiences and decision-making when managing pediatric patients with PDOC. We recruited a purposive sample of 19 Italian-speaking physicians currently or previously employed in intensive care units or pediatric, internal medicine, or neurology departments in Switzerland.

resultsParticipants stated that making clinical decisions involving pediatric patients with PDOC is extremely challenging, because the decisional process requires finding a balance between several contending factors. We found that physicians experienced ambivalence in three domains of care (time, goals of care, and target of care), and that they were aware of the risk of self-fulfilling prophecies for both prognosis and main clinical outcomes.

conclusionsOur study confirmed that experienced clinicians acknowledge the complex nature and challenge of clinical decision-making in the care of pediatric patients with PDOC. More research is warranted to improve and expand existing guidelines aimed at assisting and facilitating clinical and ethical decision-making, and improving physicians' awareness of the factors affecting their decisions when dealing with patients with PDOC.

Indexed as

ConsciousnessPhysiciansChildDecision MakingHumansIntensive Care UnitsQualitative Researchdecision-makingethicspediatricsphysiciansprolonged disorders of consciousness

Identifiers

PMID35398947
PMCPMC9544752
OpenAlexW4223479921

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.