"I Do Not Believe We Should Disclose Everything to an Older Patient": Challenges and Ethical Concerns in Clinical Decision-Making in Old-Age Care in Ethiopia.

Autor: Mussie KM; Institute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 28, 4056, Basel, Switzerland. kirubel.mussie@unibas.ch., Kaba M; School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia., Setchell J; School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia., Elger BS; Institute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 28, 4056, Basel, Switzerland.; Center for Legal Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy [Health Care Anal] 2024 Dec; Vol. 32 (4), pp. 290-311. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Oct 01.
DOI: 10.1007/s10728-024-00494-y
Abstrakt: Clinical decision-making in old-age care is a complex and ethically sensitive process. Despite its importance, research addressing the challenges of clinical decision-making in old-age care within this cultural context is limited. This study aimed to explore the challenges and ethical concerns in clinical decision-making in old-age care in Ethiopia. This qualitative study employed an inductive approach with data collected via semi-structured interviews with 20 older patients and 26 health professionals recruited from healthcare facilities in Ethiopia. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Our analysis identified three key themes. First, participants highlighted perceptions that older patients' religious beliefs interfere with the clinical decisions both older patients and health professionals make. Second, older patients often receive limited information from health professionals about their diagnosis and treatment. Third, families of older patients appear to strongly influence clinical decisions made by older patients or health professionals. This research enhances the understanding of clinical decision-making in old-age care within Ethiopia, a context where such research is scarce. As a result, this study contributes towards advancing the deliberation of ethical dilemmas that health professionals who work with older patients in Ethiopia might face. A key implication of the study is that there is a need for more ethics and cultural competence training for health professionals working with older patients in Ethiopia.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
Externí odkaz: