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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Supporting life through tube feeding
— factors influencing surrogate decision-making | | Author(s) | Donna Wilson |
| Journal title | Canadian Journal on Aging, vol 12, no 3, Fall 1993 |
| Pages | pp 298-310 |
| Keywords | Terminal care ; Nutrition ; Social ethics ; Case studies ; Canada. |
| Annotation | Many individuals have tube feeding implemented in the end stages of life. It is also common to have surrogates making life support decisions for others. When family members are placed in the role of decision-maker for an incompetent patient, what factors influence life support decisions? A case study and ethnomethodological inquiry provide an in-depth understanding of factors that influenced one daughter in her decision to have tube feeding implemented for her incompetent and severely debilitated mother. The decision was difficult and constituted a time of crisis. Unfortunately, the most influential factors were: urgency in the face of impending death; lack of insight into the mother's values and preferences in relation to life support through tube feeding; lack of knowledge as to what tube feeding involved; and the belief that tube feeding would not prolong her mother's life and suffering. Nine other, less influential, factors were also found. Improving the sensitivity of health care professionals to the agony of decision-making and to the decision-making process for life support are the major focuses of this paper. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-970821212 A |
| Classmark | LV: CF: TQ: 69P: 7S |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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