The relationship with the patient with no possibility of therapeutic management

Abstract

The ability of medical science to prolong life through technology, especially in the setting of intensive care units, has generated much debate among health professionals and different segments of society about the extent to which the physician should maintain the treatment of terminal patients or patients with no possibility of therapeutic management. Several studies have shown that most of the deaths in intensive care units occur after refusal of a particular treatment. Many health professionals are unaware of this reality and therefore have difficulty in accepting it. Thus, it is of the utmost importance to discuss the decisions about the terminal stage as well as the definition of such stage among intensive care physicians and assistants, and the entire multidisciplinary team that provides care for the patient. The present review article deals with the main aspects involved in the care of patients with no possibility of therapeutic management.