Ethical crisis brewing in Canada’s healthcare system

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Moral distress over life and death decisions in the ICU is taking a toll on doctors and nurses.

Local research suggests many critical care healthcare workers have considered quitting over the way dying patients are handled in our hospitals.

Dr. Peter Dodek at the University of British Columbia has studied the burden of moral distress on doctors and nurses, many who face decisions daily about how to care for critically ill patients, compelled to keep them alive even if all hope of recovery is gone and the treatments cause suffering for both the patient and their family.

Dodek’s figures show 52 per cent of nurses and 27 per cent of doctors have at one time considered quitting a clinical position because of moral distress with the way patient care was handled. Eighteen per cent of nurses and seven per cent of doctors asked said they were currently considering leaving their positions.

The research suggests much of the distress comes from making end-of-life decisions, inconsistent care plans, and families demanding aggressive treatments even when there is no chance of recovery.

Dodek is also studying the relationship between moral distress in ICU health care providers and patient safety.

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