Family Physicians' Decision-making in Mechanical Ventilation Withdrawal: A Cross-sectional Study.

Objectives: In Thailand, family physicians play a central role in palliative care, which often includes the withdrawal of mechanical ventilation (WMV) as part of life-sustaining treatment cessation. However, the rationale behind these decisions varies significantly among practitioners. This study ex...

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Publicado en:Indian Journal of Palliative Care Vol. 31; no. 4; pp. 1 - 11
Autores principales: Pankaew, Tunwarat, Kanhasing, Ruankwan, Wongpradit, Wadee
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Scientific Scholar LLC Oct-Dec2025
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Oct-Dec2025
      vid: 31
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      pub: Scientific Scholar LLC
      place: Pittsford, New York
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        10.25259/IJPC_333_2024
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        atl: Family Physicians' Decision-making in Mechanical Ventilation Withdrawal: A Cross-sectional Study.
      aug:
        au:
          Pankaew, Tunwarat
          Kanhasing, Ruankwan
          Wongpradit, Wadee
        affil: Department of Social Medicine, Medical Education Center Buddhasothorn Hospital, Chachoengsao, Thailand.
      sug:
        subj:
          Physicians, Family
          Decision Making, Clinical
          Respiration, Artificial
          Euthanasia, Passive
          Ventilator Weaning
          Terminally Ill Patients Psychosocial Factors
          Human
          Male
          Female
          Descriptive Research
          Cross Sectional Studies
          Consensus
          Palliative Care
          Odds Ratio
          Confidence Intervals
          Questionnaires
          Descriptive Statistics
          Logistic Regression
          Adult
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Objectives: In Thailand, family physicians play a central role in palliative care, which often includes the withdrawal of mechanical ventilation (WMV) as part of life-sustaining treatment cessation. However, the rationale behind these decisions varies significantly among practitioners. This study examines key factors that influence Thai family physicians' decisions to discontinue mechanical ventilation for terminally ill patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted an online survey from December 2021 to January 2022, employing a customised questionnaire. Its content validity and reliability were affirmed, achieving Cronbach's alpha scores of 0.81 and 0.88 in separate sections. Results: Among 164 respondents, 123 (75%) had previously participated in WMV decisions. Key influencing factors included the involvement of family or surrogate decision-makers (SDMs), physicians' experience with end-of-life care and patients' explicit opposition to ventilator support. Urgent requests from families or SDMs and the imminence of patient mortality were also pivotal. A consensus on the ethical appropriateness of WMV was observed. Notably, physicians with over 3 years of experience in palliative care were significantly more likely to discontinue ventilation (odds ratio [OR] = 5.30; P = 0.001), a likelihood further increased by formal training in this area (OR = 8.97; P < 0.001). Conclusion: The decisions of Thai family physicians to cease mechanical ventilation in terminally ill patients are strongly influenced by family or SDMs' input, their own experiential background and the expressed wishes of the patients regarding ventilator assistance.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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