Decisões éticas na terminalidade da vida : conhecimentos e condutas de médicos intensivistas de goiás e distrito federal

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2010

RESUMO

Nowadays, death mainly occurs in hospitals, at Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Care delivery in the terminality of life can represent an extremely complex situation for physicians, mainly for those working in intensive care. In the attempt to solve these dilemmas, the Federal Medicine Council issued Resolution 1.805/2006, about the legalization of orthotanasia; this resolution has generated doubts though, and was suspended after an injunction by the Public Prosecution Service. This research aimed to: (1) describe knowledge and conducts of intensive care physicians in situations of endof- life limitation of life support to patients; (2) analyze, in the light of bioethics, knowledge and conducts related to brain death and orthotanasia. A descriptive and exploratory research was carried out. An anonymous questionnaire was applied during an intensive care event in the Central-West of Brazil. Quantitative and qualitative techniques were used for data collection and analysis. Fifteen physicians participated with worked at ICU, ten men and five women, between 20 and 40 years of age. Participants reported different concepts for orthotanasia, indicating lack of knowledge on the theme. The aspects more frequently appointed to guide decision making at the end of life were the disease prognosis and the irreversibility of death. Almost half of the participants did not know the above mentioned resolution. As to limitations for its application, legal aspects were mentioned, as well as lack of training and consensus in the team, insecurity to decide on the issue and difficulty to confirm the diagnosis of brain death. The study points towards the need for discussion, in the light of bioethics, about themes related to the limitation of life support, in view of the dignity of the dying process. Orthotanasia is ethical and moral when based on consensual coordination of actions that defend the autonomy of patients and their relatives in life terminality situations. In conclusion, the professionals language to define the terms related to endof- life situations can confuse them and, mainly, the lay community, particularly when the physician-patient relation occurs asymmetrically. The need to understand and clarify these concepts and definitions was also evidenced.

ASSUNTO(S)

bioética terminalidade da vida unidade de terapia intensiva limitação de suporte vital ciencias da saude intensive care unit terminality of life bioethics limitation of life support

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

Documentos Relacionados