Sarah Elizabeth Wieten
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, SCRDP/ Heart Disease Prevention
Bio
Publications
All Publications
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Variation in the design of Do Not Resuscitate orders and other code status options: a multi-institutional qualitative study.
BMJ quality & safety
2020
Abstract
BACKGROUND: US hospitals typically provide a set of code status options that includes Full Code and Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) but often includes additional options. Although US hospitals differ in the design of code status options, this variation and its impacts have not been empirically studied.DESIGN AND METHODS: Multi-institutional qualitative study at 7 US hospitals selected for variability in geographical location, type of institution and design of code status options. We triangulated across three data sources (policy documents, code status ordering menus and in-depth physician interviews) to characterise the code status options available at each hospital. Using inductive qualitative methods, we investigated design differences in hospital code status options and the perceived impacts of these differences.RESULTS: The code status options at each hospital varied widely with regard to the number of code status options, the names and definitions of code status options, and the formatting and capabilities of code status ordering menus. DNR orders were named and defined differently at each hospital studied. We identified five key design characteristics that impact the function of a code status order. Each hospital's code status options were unique with respect to these characteristics, indicating that code status plays differing roles in each hospital. Physician participants perceived that the design of code status options shapes communication and decision-making practices about resuscitation and life-sustaining treatments, especially at the end of life. We identified four potential mechanisms through which this may occur: framing conversations, prompting decisions, shaping inferences and creating categories.CONCLUSIONS: There are substantive differences in the design of hospital code status options that may contribute to known variability in end-of-life care and treatment intensity among US hospitals. Our framework can be used to design hospital code status options or evaluate their function.
View details for DOI 10.1136/bmjqs-2020-011222
View details for PubMedID 33082165
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Mechanisms, laws and explanation
EUROPEAN JOURNAL FOR PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
2020; 10 (3)
View details for DOI 10.1007/s13194-020-00284-y
View details for Web of Science ID 000533075700001
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Resource Allocation in COVID-19 Research: Which Trials? Which Patients?
The American journal of bioethics : AJOB
2020; 20 (7): 86?88
View details for DOI 10.1080/15265161.2020.1779392
View details for PubMedID 32716767
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Ventilator Triage Policies During the COVID-19 Pandemic at U.S. Hospitals Associated With Members of the Association of Bioethics Program Directors.
Annals of internal medicine
2020
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has or threatens to overwhelm health care systems. Many institutions are developing ventilator triage policies.To characterize the development of ventilator triage policies and compare policy content.Survey and mixed-methods content analysis.North American hospitals associated with members of the Association of Bioethics Program Directors.Program directors.Characteristics of institutions and policies, including triage criteria and triage committee membership.Sixty-seven program directors responded (response rate, 91.8%); 36 (53.7%) hospitals did not yet have a policy, and 7 (10.4%) hospitals' policies could not be shared. The 29 institutions providing policies were relatively evenly distributed among the 4 U.S. geographic regions (range, 5 to 9 policies per region). Among the 26 unique policies analyzed, 3 (11.3%) were produced by state health departments. The most frequently cited triage criteria were benefit (25 policies [96.2%]), need (14 [53.8%]), age (13 [50.0%]), conservation of resources (10 [38.5%]), and lottery (9 [34.6%]). Twenty-one (80.8%) policies use scoring systems, and 20 of these (95.2%) use a version of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score. Among the policies that specify the triage team's composition (23 [88.5%]), all require or recommend a physician member, 20 (87.0%) a nurse, 16 (69.6%) an ethicist, 8 (34.8%) a chaplain, and 8 (34.8%) a respiratory therapist. Thirteen (50.0% of all policies) require or recommend those making triage decisions not be involved in direct patient care, but only 2 (7.7%) require that their decisions be blinded to ethically irrelevant considerations.The results may not be generalizable to institutions without academic bioethics programs.Over one half of respondents did not have ventilator triage policies. Policies have substantial heterogeneity, and many omit guidance on fair implementation.
View details for DOI 10.7326/M20-1738
View details for PubMedID 32330224
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Response to "Will We Code for Default ECMO?": Clarifying the Scope of Do-Not-ECMO Orders.
AMA journal of ethics
2019; 21 (10): E926?929
View details for DOI 10.1001/amajethics.2019.926
View details for PubMedID 31651394
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A Tapestry of Values: An Introduction to Values in Science (Book Review)
PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
2019; 86 (2): 378?83
View details for DOI 10.1086/702030
View details for Web of Science ID 000462065800011
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Informed Consent: A Matter of Aspiration Since 1966 (At Least)
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
2019; 19 (5): 3?5
View details for DOI 10.1080/15265161.2019.1600903
View details for Web of Science ID 000467836100004
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No Escalation of Treatment: Moving Beyond the Withholding/Withdrawing Debate
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
2019; 19 (3): 63?65
View details for DOI 10.1080/15265161.2018.1563660
View details for Web of Science ID 000461885300023