Difficult Decisions

Organised by the ESICM Ethics Section, the aim of the webinar is to improve decisions on providing or withholding ICU treatment.

The specific topics addressed in this webinar are the role of surrogates, interprofessional decision making, and implicit views in the decision-making process.

Learning Outcomes:

• Describe how to identify the next of kin of the ICU patient and to define their roles in shared decision-making processes
• Understand the differences between interprofessional decision making and shared decision making
• Describe the different aspects of decision making on the intensity of ICU treatment in ICU patients
• Understand the complexity of decision making by surrogates of incapacitated ICU patients

The Experts:

Co-Presenters:

Dr Monika KERCKOFFS – Intensivist, University Medical Centre in Utrecht (NL). She has a special interest in decision-making and long-term outcome of ICU survivors. She conducted a PhD on decision-making in the ICU focusing on balancing prognostic information with patients’ preferences. In addition to her clinical work and research, she is responsible for the medical training of the ICU specialist registrars in her hospital. Member of the ESICM Ethics Section.

Prof Jos LATOUR – Professor in clinical nursing, University of Plymouth (UK); intensive care nurse and Director of Clinical Schools, Derriford University Hospital, Plymouth and Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton (UK). His research programmes are related to patient and family-centred care, end-of-life care practices and emergency care. An ESICM member for nearly 30 years, he received the Life-Time Achievement award of ESPNIC.

Moderator:

Dr Diederik VAN DIJK – Intensivist, Utrecht University hospital (NL). Amongst others, his research focuses on long-term outcomes after intensive care admission. He is Deputy Chair of the Ethics section of the ESICM and he has a special interest in decision making on life-sustaining therapies.