Impasses and Ethical Challenges at the End of Life: From the NICU to the SICU

Speaker: 

Laura Guidry-Grimes, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in the Department of Medical Humanities and Bioethics

End-of-life decision making is fertile ground for conflict. When patients’ preferences aren’t clear—or when the patient is a child—caregivers may not agree on a single course of action with one another, or with the medical team. How should case managers respond when faced with such an impasse and still stand up for the client’s interests? This webinar will explore the dynamics of end-of-life ethical challenges across the lifespan and provide a pathway to finding resolution. 

Learning Outcomes:

  • Identify common ethical challenges that arise at the end of life for pediatric and adult patients;
  • Explain an ethically-reasoned procedure for handling impasses and conflicts that arise among family members and health care teams when advocating for the interests of the dying patient; and
  • Discuss two cases, one from the neonatal ICU and one from the surgical ICU, that case managers could experience as ethically troubling.