학술논문

"What Would Give Her the Best Life?": Understanding Why Families Decline Pediatric Home Ventilation.
Document Type
Article
Source
Journal of Palliative Medicine. Jul2023, Vol. 26 Issue 7, p930-940. 11p.
Subject
*TRACHEOTOMY
*CAREGIVER attitudes
*ACADEMIC medical centers
*MECHANICAL ventilators
*HOME care services
*RESEARCH methodology
*CRITICALLY ill
*PATIENTS
*INTERVIEWING
*PEDIATRICS
*FAMILY attitudes
*EXPERIENCE
*ARTIFICIAL respiration
*QUALITATIVE research
*PATIENT-family relations
*DECISION making
*RESPIRATORY therapy
*RESEARCH funding
*JUDGMENT sampling
*CONTENT analysis
*PALLIATIVE treatment
*CHILDREN
Language
ISSN
1096-6218
Abstract
Background: Families who must decide about pediatric home ventilation rely on the clinicians who counsel them for guidance. Most studies about pediatric home ventilation decisions focus on families who opt for this intervention, leaving much unknown about the families who decline. Objective: To describe the rationales of families who decline home ventilation. Design: Semi-structured interview study. Setting/Subjects: We interviewed 16 families in hospitals across 3 U.S. states, identified by their clinicians as previously deciding to not pursue home ventilation via tracheostomy within the past five years. Measurements: Targeted content and narrative analyses were used to understand family intentions and reasons for declining. Results: The clinical and social context varied among the 16 families in this study. Families' intentions in saying "no" fell into two categories: (1) definitive "No": Families who stood firm on in their decision and (2) contingent "No": Families who may consider this in the future. Families described four reasons why their child did not receive home ventilation: (1) concern about medical impacts, (2) concern about physical and/or communication restrictions, (3) concern that there would be no clear health benefit, and (4) concern about no clear meaningful life. Most families mentioned all four reasons, but concern about no clear meaningful life predominated. Conclusions: Though these families did not see home ventilation as an appropriate option, each reported a complex interplay of intentions behind and reasons for declining. Clinicians who counsel families about home ventilation could share the reasons that families commonly decline this intervention to facilitate a balanced discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]