Limitation of Futile Therapy in the Opinion of Nursing Staff Employed in Polish Hospitals—Results of a Cross-Sectional Study

Maria Damps (), Maksymilian Gajda, Malgorzata Kowalska and Ewa Kucewicz-Czech
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Maria Damps: Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Upper Silesian Child Health Centre, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Medyków 16, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Maksymilian Gajda: Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Malgorzata Kowalska: Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Ewa Kucewicz-Czech: Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-10

Abstract: The debate on limiting futile therapy in the aspect of End of Life (EoL) care has been going on in Poland over the last decade. The growing demand for EoL care resulting from the aging of societies corresponds to the expectation of a satisfactory quality of life and self-determination. The authors designed a cross-sectional study using a newly designed questionnaire to assess the opinions of 190 nurses employed in intensive care units (ICUs) on futile therapy, practices, and the respondents’ approach to the issue. The problem of futile therapy and its clinical implications are known to the nursing community. Among the most common reasons for undertaking futile therapy in adult patients, the respondents declared fear of legal liability for not taking such actions (71.58%), as well as fear of being accused of unethical conduct (56.32%), and fear of talking to the patient/patient’s family and their reaction (43.16%). In the case of adult patients, the respondents believed that discontinuation of futile therapy should be decided by the patient (84.21%), followed by a doctor (64.21%). As for paediatric patients, two-thirds of the respondents mentioned a doctor and a court (64.74% and 64.21%, respectively). Overall, 65.26% of the respondents believe and agree that the comfort of the patient’s last days is more important than the persistent continuation of therapy and prolonging life at all costs. The presented results clearly show the attitude of the respondents who defend the patient’s dignity and autonomy.

Keywords: limitation of futile therapy; end-of-life care; opinion of nursing staff (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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