Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents
Nursing Ethics
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (1)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Schaffer, M. A
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Schaffer, M. A
Right arrowPubmed/NCBI databases
Medline Plus Health Information
*Family Issues
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?

Ethical Problems in End-of-Life Decisions for Elderly Norwegians

Marjorie A Schaffer

Bethel University, 3900 Bethel Drive, St Paul, MN 55112, USA, m-schaffer{at}bethel.edu

Norwegian health professionals, elderly people and family members experience ethical problems involving end-of-life decision making for elders in the context of the values of Norwegian society. This study used ethical inquiry and qualitative methodology to conduct and analyze interviews carried out with 25 health professionals, six elderly people and five family members about the ethical problems they encountered in end-of-life decision making in Norway. All three participant groups experienced ethical problems involving the adequacy of health care for elderly Norwegians. Older people were concerned about being a burden to their families at the end of their life. However, health professionals wished to protect families from the burden of difficult decisions regarding health care for elderly parents at the end of life. Strategies are suggested for dialogue about end-of-life decisions and the integration of palliative care approaches into health care services for frail elderly people.

Key Words: end-of-life decisions • ethical problems • Norway • palliative care

Nursing Ethics, Vol. 14, No. 2, 242-257 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0969733007073707
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Nurs EthicsHome page
J. Rees, L. King, and K. Schmitz
Nurses' Perceptions of Ethical Issues in the Care of Older People
Nursing Ethics, July 1, 2009; 16(4): 436 - 452.
[Abstract] [PDF]