Religion and end-of-life decisions in critical care: where the word meets deed

Ford, Dee W.

doi:10.1007/s00134-012-2557-5

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Additionally, death and dying is often experienced as a spiritual more than a medical event 22. The data demonstrate that religious teachings about end-of-life care may be influential in shaping patients' and families' orientation and preferences to medical treatment, which has also been previously reported 11. As Jahn Kassim and Alias16, p. 7 state, ‘religion and religious traditions serve two primary functions, namely the provision of a set of core beliefs about life events and the establishment of an ethical foundation for clinical decision making’.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…While many studies demonstrate that religion may lead families to continue treatment for patients at the end of life and/or select more aggressive treatments, it is unclear what mechanisms are at play in the relationship between religion and preferences around life-sustaining treatment (LST) 11. It is also unclear whether religion may play other roles in situations related to LST.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The role of religious beliefs in ethics committee consultations for conflict over life-sustaining treatment

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Previous research has suggested that individuals who identify as being more religious request more aggressive medical treatment at end of life. These requests may generate disagreement over life-sustaining treatment (LST). Outside of anecdotal observation, however, the actual role of religion in conflict over LST has been underexplored. Because ethics committees are often consulted to help mediate these conflicts, the ethics consultation experience provides a unique context in which to investigate this question. The purpose of this paper was to examine the ways religion was present in cases involving conflict around LST. Using medical records from ethics consultation cases for conflict over LST in one large academic medical centre, we found that religion can be central to conflict over LST but was also present in two additional ways through (1) religious coping, including a belief in miracles and support from a higher power, and (2) chaplaincy visits. In-hospital mortality was not different between patients with religiously versus non-religiously centred conflict. In our retrospective cohort study, religion played a variety of roles and did not lead to increased treatment intensity or prolong time to death. Ethics consultants and healthcare professionals involved in these cases should be cognisant of the complex ways that religion can manifest in conflict over LST.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of religious beliefs in ethics committee consultations for conflict over life-sustaining treatment

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As availability of intensive care is increasing world-wide the interest of what constitutes a dignified death and a good EOL care are questions for the nursing profession globally. This means that we need to broaden our horizons about what constitutes a good death for the individual person and the family members involved (Ford, 2012;Niimura, 2013). Presently, most studies describing EOL in the ICU have a European or western-world ethnocentric perspective on what good EOL care includes (Wiegand, 2006).…”

Section: Challenges In the Present And For The Futurementioning

confidence: 97%

Caring for the dying patient in the ICU – The past, the present and the future

Fridh

2014

Intensive and Critical Care Nursing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Many Hindus incorporate fire in ceremonies that they consider sacred. Diwali (Festival of Lights) symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness 5 …”

Section: Candle Symbolismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dying in the Intensive Care Unit: A Candle Vigil Using Illustrations

Johnson

Wijdicks

2018

Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

With death and dying in intensive care units, there should be bereavement support for families. We propose placing an illustration of a candle on the door of an unresponsive dying patient, with additional illustrations of votive candles at the nurses’ station opposite to the door as a neutral way of identifying these rooms with patients who transitioned to comfort care or who have died. The candle illustrations encourage staff members to modify their words, silence themselves, and reflect. After a 1-year tryout in the neurointensive care unit with a strong positive experience for staff and families, it can be perceived as a symbol of tranquility.

show abstract

Religion and end-of-life decisions in critical care: where the word meets deed

Cited by 8 publications

References 16 publications

The role of religious beliefs in ethics committee consultations for conflict over life-sustaining treatment

The role of religious beliefs in ethics committee consultations for conflict over life-sustaining treatment

Caring for the dying patient in the ICU – The past, the present and the future

Dying in the Intensive Care Unit: A Candle Vigil Using Illustrations

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About