Navigating the Minefield: Managing Refusal of Medical Care in Older Adults with Chronic Symptoms of Mental Illness

The perspectives of hospital doctors about end-of-life care in people with mental illness: an observational pilot study

BACKGROUND

Negative attitudes towards people living with mental illness (PLWMI), defined here as mentalism, are a major contribution to health care inequity, which may extend into end-of-life care. There is a clear need for investigation of the attitudes of doctors towards PLWMI at the end of life as doctors may lead processes of care that contribute to this inequity.

AIMS

The aim of this pilot study is to examine the perspectives of hospital-based doctors regarding end-of-life care and medical decision-making in PLWMI.

METHODS

A survey was created to explore whether mentalism is present in the perspectives of hospital doctors regarding end-of-life care for PLWMI. The survey included demographic characteristics of participants and questions comprising statements and vignettes that required agree/disagree responses. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise responses, and chi-square tests examined associations with demographic variables.

RESULTS

The survey was commenced by 48 hospital-based doctors and completed by 45. Descriptive statistics indicated that mentalism is present in the attitudes of hospital doctors regarding end-of-life care of PWLMI, with 47 of 48 participants (98%) endorsing at least one mentalist response. One significant association found that psychiatrists and psychiatry trainees were less likely to endorse a stereotype response in one vignette.

CONCLUSIONS

This preliminary study addresses a gap within the literature on the potential contribution of mentalist attitudes in doctors to the poorer end-of-life care outcomes for PLWMI. The findings highlight the need for further study of this topic and suggest a role for targeted medical education in the pursuit of health care equality for PLWMI.

Decision-Making Capacity to Refuse Treatment at the End of Life: The Need for Recognizing Real-World Practices

End-of-life decision making is a troublesome ethical dilemma. These decisions should be made in trustful patient–doctor relationships. We aimed to propose a balanced approach when discussing this complex issue. We categorized the research into four approaches and suggest that a multidisciplinary approach may be appropriate. We also analyzed the pitfalls of the multidisciplinary approach. Our conclusion is two-fold. First, discussions in this field should be based on real-world practice. If this is not the case, the proposal may be armchair theory, which is not effective in a clinical setting. Second, interdisciplinary researchers should not stick to their position too firmly and should listen to others. Otherwise, proposals made will be paternalistic or philosophically biased. Therefore, when philosophical collaboration is applied to the topic of clinical bioethics, it is necessary to thoroughly examine different positions and carry out careful discussions with consideration for medical care settings. Researchers must also understand what is needed for a trustful patient–doctor relationship. By making such efforts, clinical bioethics will contribute to the wellbeing of patients.

Age discrimination perceived by hospitalized older adult patients in Iran: A qualitative study

Background: The quality of care that older adult patients receive during hospitalization is directly associated with the perception, knowledge, and skills of the healthcare team. This qualitative study was conducted to explore the concept of age discrimination perceived by hospitalized older adult patients. Methods: The present exploratory qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis. The purposive sampling method was used to recruit participants and the sampling continued until data saturation. A total of 21 individuals comprising of 12 hospitalized older adult patients, 5 family caregivers, 3 nurses, and a physician were enrolled in the study. Data were collected through 21 face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method as described by Elo and Kyngäs. Results: The analysis of the interview data resulted in 4 main categories, namely injustice perceptions, interactional injustice, procedural injustice, and organizational injustice. Conclusion: The findings of the study indicated that older adult patients perceive the occurrence of age discrimination by healthcare teams and inequalities in the provided care in hospitals. It is therefore important to address ageism and subsequent inequalities through short- and long-term policies and plans, as well as standardization and transformation of the present condition of hospitals to become an age-friendly environment.