Ethical Concerns Caring for the Stroke Patient

Dea Mahanes

doi:10.1016/j.cnc.2019.11.001

Ethical Concerns Caring for the Stroke Patient

Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am. 2020 Mar;32(1):121-133. doi: 10.1016/j.cnc.2019.11.001. Epub 2019 Dec 12.

Author

Dea Mahanes¹

Affiliation

¹ Neurocritical and Neuro Intermediate Care, University of Virginia Health System, Box 801436, Charlottesville, VA 22908-1436, USA. Electronic address: sdm4e@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu.

PMID: 32014158
DOI: 10.1016/j.cnc.2019.11.001

Abstract

Stroke is a sudden, unexpected illness with an uncertain prognosis for functional recovery. Ethical issues in the care of patients with stroke include assessment of decision-making capacity when cognition or communication is impaired, prognostication, evaluation of quality of life, withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining treatment, and how to optimize surrogate decision making. Skilled communication between clinicians and patients or their surrogates promotes shared decision making and may prevent ethical conflict. Nurses with an understanding of the ethics of stroke care play an important role in the care of patients with stroke and their families.

Keywords: Critical care; Decision making; Ethics; Prognosis; Stroke.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Communication*
Critical Care Nursing / ethics*
Decision Making / ethics*
Ethics, Medical*
Humans
Patient Preference*
Quality of Life
Stroke* / psychology
Stroke* / therapy
Terminal Care
Withholding Treatment