Prolonging life distresses doctors when not in patient’s best interests
Moral conflict greatest when patients' guardians want more treatment but the doctor prefers palliative care, study shows
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When their patients cannot make decisions about life-prolonging care, many doctors feel moral distress when acting on the choices of their guardians, a small survey suggests.
Doctors most often felt ethical strain when the patient was older or the guardian wanted more life-sustaining treatment than the doctor felt appropriate, researchers report in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.