Case Study: End-of-Life Care Part 3
When Mr. and Mrs. Johnson’s children arrive at the hospital, Mrs. Johnson says she was thinking that it may not be the best thing for Mr. Johnson to continue on life support because it seems that it may only be prolonging his suffering. It took the cardiac arrest situation for her to finally realize that her husband will never recover. The family asks to speak to the healthcare team about removing Mr. Johnson from life support. The social worker, hospitalist, nurse, and respiratory therapist (RT) are available to meet with the family. They explain what to expect once Mr. Johnson is removed from life support, and that the family can arrange for it to be done whenever they want. Mrs. Johnson says she would like their pastor present. Arrangements are made to remove Mr. Johnson from the ventilator later that afternoon. Mrs. Johnson asks the nurse if she will be the one who will remove the life support. The nurse has never done this before and is uncomfortable. She says, “I will be present if you want me to be there with you.” The nurse then privately discusses the situation with the respiratory therapist. She has never removed someone from life support and is uncomfortable doing so for the first time in this situation. The RT says removing life support is part of RT training, and he has done so in a number of cases. He suggests that he remove Mr. Johnson from the ventilator while explaining what he is doing to the family, and the nurse can observe and offer support. Afterward, he and the nurse can meet and discuss the process so the nurse can learn. The hospitalist will be present when Mr. Johnson’s life support is terminated, and he can also be available to talk with the nurse and RT afterward.
Discussion Questions
- How did the team members respect each other’s roles responsibilities and expertise in Mr. Johnson’s case?
- Using this case, give examples of how team members worked together with each other and the Johnson family.
- The nurse in this case study demonstrated how interprofessional collaboration can help professionals maintain competence within their scope of practice. Can you think of other ways in which the various professionals could collaborate to learn from one another?
