[Ethical decision making and the beginning of terminal care in various nursing units]

This article reviews the ethical decision making in moving to terminal care in different nursing unites from viewpoint of nurses. The research results presented in this article are part of the larger study, which dealt with the terminal care of an elderly patient (Kuuppelomaki 1991). Nurses, special nurses and head nurses (N = 191) working in local hospitals, in central hospitals and in radiotherapy clinics participated in the study. The research material was collected by questionnaires during august and september in year 1989. In the processing of the research material cross-tabulations were used. The statistical significance of the differences in results of groups was tested by the Chi-Square. It was found out that the decision of terminal care is often left unmade both in local hospitals, in central hospitals and in radiotherapy clinics. According to the nurses patients and relatives didn't take part very much in decision making process. The participation of nurses were also more less than the willingness of them. Most often the decision was made by the doctor alone, especially in central hospital. Almost every patient in radiotherapy clinics knew about the decision of terminal care but in local hospitals and in central hospitals less than half of them knew about the thing.