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Table 4 Appraisal of ethical challenges in the decision-making process for VS patients

From: Physicians’ attitudes toward medical and ethical challenges for patients in the vegetative state: comparing Canadian and German perspectives in a vignette survey

 

Median (1st, 3rdquartile) on NRS (0-10)

 
 

All groups* (n = 332)

Rank order

Canadian group* (n = 200)

Rank order

German group* (n = 132)

Rank order

pvalue

Determining patient’s wishes (n = 320)

7 (5,9)

1

7 (4.5,8)

2

8 (7,10)

1

p < 0.001

Accompanying family members in decisions (n = 322)

7 (5,8)

2

6 (3,8)

4

7 (6,9)

3

p < 0.001

Finding long-term care (n = 314)

7 (4,9)

3

8 (4,9)

1

6 (4,8)

6

p = 0.007

Making prognosis and predicting recovery (n = 323)

7 (4,9)

3

7 (3,8)

3

8 (7,10)

1

p < 0.001

Evaluating resource allocation (n = 318)

7 (3,9)

4

6 (3,8)

4

7 (4,9)

4

p = 0.010

Deciding for patient in absence of surrogate (n = 321)

7 (4,9)

4

5 (2,7)

6

8 (7,10)

1

p < 0.001

Assessing medical futility (n = 319)

6 (3,8)

5

4 (2,7)

7

7 (5,8)

5

p < 0.001

Making correct diagnosis (n = 325)

6 (2,8)

6

5 (2,8)

5

7 (4,9)

4

p < 0.001

Discontinuing LST (n = 323)

6 (2,8)

6

4 (2,7)

7

8 (5,10)

2

p < 0.001

Accompanying clients through staff rotations (n = 313)

5 (3,7)

7

5 (2,7)

6

6 (3.5,8)

7

p = 0.002

Applying a decision made by surrogate (n = 318)

5 (3,7)

7

4 (2,6)

8

7 (5,8)

5

p < 0.001

Reaching an agreement as a team (n = 320)

4 (2,6)

8

3 (2,5)

10

5 (3,7)

9

p < 0.001

Multidisciplinary discussions for decisions (n = 321)

3 (1,5)

9

2 (1,4)

9

5 (3,7)

8

p < 0.001

  1. *Those who assigned the correct diagnosis to the patient in the case; Mann-Whitney-U test; average rank order according to Median, 1st and 3rd quartile on NRS (0-10).