当前位置： SCI文献检索 > JOURNAL OF PALLIATIVE MEDICINE期刊下所有文献 > Seeking and Accepting: U.S. Clergy Theological and Moral Perspectives Informing Decision Making at the End of Life.

Seeking and Accepting: U.S. Clergy Theological and Moral Perspectives Informing Decision Making at the End of Life.

Abstract：

BACKGROUND:People with serious illness frequently rely on religion/spirituality to cope with their diagnosis, with potentially positive and negative consequences. Clergy are uniquely positioned to help patients consider medical decisions at or near the end of life within a religious/spiritual framework. OBJECTIVE:We aimed to examine clergy knowledge of end-of-life (EOL) care and beliefs about the role of faith in EOL decision making for patients with serious illness. DESIGN:Key informant interviews, focus groups, and survey. SETTING/SUBJECTS:A purposive sample of 35 active clergy in five U.S. states as part of the National Clergy End-of-Life Project. MEASUREMENT:We assessed participant knowledge of and desire for further education about EOL care. We transcribed interviews and focus groups for the purpose of qualitative analysis. RESULTS:Clergy had poor knowledge of EOL care; 75% desired more EOL training. Qualitative analysis revealed a theological framework for decision making in serious illness that balances seeking life and accepting death. Clergy viewed comfort-focused treatments as consistent with their faith traditions' views of a good death. They employed a moral framework to determine the appropriateness of EOL decisions, which weighs the impact of multiple factors and upholds the importance of God-given free will. They viewed EOL care choices to be the primary prerogative of patients and families. Clergy described ambivalence about and a passive approach to counseling congregants about decision making despite having defined beliefs regarding EOL care. CONCLUSIONS:Poor knowledge of EOL care may lead clergy to passively enable congregants with serious illness to pursue potentially nonbeneficial treatments that are associated with increased suffering.

journal_name

J Palliat Med

journal_title

Journal of palliative medicine

authors

Sanders JJ,Chow V,Enzinger AC,Lam TC,Smith PT,Quiñones R,Baccari A,Philbrick S,White-Hammond G,Peteet J,Balboni TA,Balboni MJ

doi

10.1089/jpm.2016.0545

subject

Has Abstract

pub_date

2017-10-01 00:00:00

pages

1059-1067

issue

eissn

1096-6218

issn

1557-7740

journal_volume

pub_type

杂志文章

在线工具

Seeking and Accepting: U.S. Clergy Theological and Moral Perspectives Informing Decision Making at the End of Life.