• IMA sites
  • IMAJ services
  • IMA journals
  • Follow us
  • Alternate Text Alternate Text
עמוד בית
Wed, 06.11.24

Original Articles

IMAJ | volume

Journal 11, November 2003
pages: 770-774

Forgoing Life-Sustaining Treatments: Comparison of Attitudes between Israeli and North American Intensive Care Healthcare Professionals

    Summary

    Background:  Physicians’ decisions regarding provision of life-sustaining treatment may be influenced considerably by non-medical variables.

    Objectives: To examine physicians’ attitudes towards end-of-life decisions in Israel, comparing them to those found in the United States.

    Methods: A survey was conducted among members of the Israel Society of Critical Care Medicine using a questionnaire analogous to that used in a similar study in the USA.       

    Results: Forty-three physicians (45%) responded, the majority of whom hold responsibility for withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatments. Preservation of life was considered the most important factor by 31 respondents (72%). The quality of life as viewed by the patient was generally considered less important than the quality of life as viewed by the physician. Twenty-one respondents (49%) considered withholding treatment more acceptable than withdrawing it. The main factors for decisions to withhold or withdraw therapy were a very low probability of survival of hospitalization, an irreversible acute disorder, and prior existence of chronic disorders. An almost similar percent of physicians (93% for Israel and 94% for the U.S.) apply Do Not Resuscitate orders in their intensive care units, but much less (28% vs. 95%) actually discuss these orders with the families of their patients.

    Conclusions:  Critical care physicians in Israel place similar emphasis on the value of life as do their U.S. counterparts and assign DNR[1] orders with an incidence equaling that of the U.S. They differ from their U.S. counterparts in that they confer less significance to the will of the patient, and do not consult as much with families of patients regarding DNR orders.



    [1] DNR = Do Not Resuscitate

    Legal Disclaimer: The information contained in this website is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal or medical advice on any matter.
    The IMA is not responsible for and expressly disclaims liability for damages of any kind arising from the use of or reliance on information contained within the site.
    © All rights to information on this site are reserved and are the property of the Israeli Medical Association. Privacy policy

    2 Twin Towers, 35 Jabotinsky, POB 4292, Ramat Gan 5251108 Israel