Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
Published on: January 12, 2018
Patient involvement in health-related decisions during prolonged critical illness
Mary Beth Happ1, Valerie A Swigart, Judith A Tate
1School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.
Abstract:
We describe patterns of communication of patients involved in health-related decision making during prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV). Data were collected using observation, interview, and record review. Twelve of 30 patients participated in decisions about initiating, withdrawing, and withholding life-sustaining treatment, surgery, artificial feeding, financial/legal issues, discharge care, and daily care procedures. Patient involvement was largely validation or confirmation of what clinicians and families had already decided. Patients' participation was enlisted by clinicians and family members even when the patients did not exhibit full decisional capacity. Patient involvement in health-related decisions during prolonged critical illness is a shared and negotiated process that requires continued empirical study and ethical analysis.
Related Concept Videos
Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
Ethical Dilemmas II
Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's cancer...
Patient-centered Care
Kidney Transplant III: Nursing Management
Chronic Kidney Disease III: Interprofessional Care