Table 2.
Responses to the questions about the intensivist's role in making withdrawal/limitation of therapy decisions
| Survey statement | Strongly agree/agree | Neutral | Disagree/strongly disagree |
|---|---|---|---|
| Each of the PICU intensivists has the same threshold for approaching a family to suggest a W/L or DNR (n = 205). | 21 (10%) | 32 (16%) | 119 (74%) |
| The threshold is too high with some intensivists (i.e., the discussion occurs too late) (n = 205). | 149 (73%) | 29 (14%) | 26 (13%) |
| The threshold is too low with some intensivists (i.e., the discussion occurs too early) (n = 204). | 33 (16%) | 40 (20%) | 131 (64%) |
| Each intensivist allows the same amount of family contribution to the decision regarding W/L or DNR (n = 203). | 79 (39%) | 56 (28%) | 68 (33%) |
| Too much family influence is allowed with some intensivists (n = 204). | 98 (48%) | 42 (21%) | 64 (31%) |
| Too little family influence is allowed with some intensivists (n = 204). | 34 (17%) | 61 (30%) | 109 (53%) |
| A PICU intensivist has W/L without having a discussion with the family (n = 202). | 10 (5%) | 18 (9%) | 174 (86%) |
| This occurs often (n = 205). | 10 (5%) | 29 (14%) | 166 (81%) |
| Each intensivist has the same threshold for W/L without having a discussion with the family (n = 201). | 22 (11%) | 47 (23%) | 132 (66%) |
W/L = withdrawal or limitation of life support treatment; DNR = do not resuscitation order; PICU = pediatric intensive care unit