Factors Affecting Life-Sustaining Treatment Decisions by Health Care Surrogates and Proxies: Assessing Benefits and Barriers

    Authors

    J. W. Buckey;N. Abell

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Soc. Work Health Care

    Keywords

    health care surrogate; health care proxy; life-sustaining treatment; decisions; health care decision-making; HBM (Health Belief Model); SOCIAL-WORK-PRACTICE; FAMILY-MEMBERS; SUBSTITUTED JUDGMENT; SUPPORT; END; WITHDRAWAL; ILL; Social Work

    Abstract

    Terri Schiavo's life and death placed international focus on social workers' need to better understand and serve health care surrogates and proxies making life-sustaining treatment decisions on behalf of medical patients. This study (N = 132) reports initial validation of a new measure, the Acceptance of Treatment Choice Inventory (ATCI), designed to evaluate benefits and barriers considered by health care surrogates and proxies prior to making a life-sustaining treatment decision about CPR, tube-feedings, dialysis, and ventilation. Affirming a two-factor model with acceptable reliability and preliminary construct validity, surrogates sought decision support and desired to represent patients' wishes adequately.

    Journal Title

    Social Work in Health Care

    Volume

    48

    Issue/Number

    4

    Publication Date

    1-1-2009

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    386

    Last Page

    401

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000268239900003

    ISSN

    0098-1389

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