Citation

Krones T. Notfall Rettungsmed. 2018; 21(3): 177-185.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10049-018-0448-1

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Emergency physicians are often confronted with patients after a suicidal attempt or who want to forgo or not initiate life-sustaining treatments.

OBJECTIVES: In order to adequately deal with these cases, a systematic approach is also crucial in emergency situations, which is developed in the article.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on a systematic ethical approach for dealing with difficult clinical ethics decisions in emergency situations and paradigmatic cases, ethically unambiguous constellations are presented, which are helpful when dealing with more complex cases.

RESULTS: Suicidal attempts and wishes to die also have to be considered in a differentiated manner in emergency situations.

CONCLUSIONS: Even if preventive and life-saving measures are reasonable approaches after a suicidal attempt and the initiation or continuation of life-saving procedures can be justified in specific cases although patients demand the opposite, palliative/supportive goals and measures are sometimes ethically more justified in emergency medicine. Strengthening advance care planning approaches might prevent some emergency calls in critical situations in the future. © 2018, Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.

Language: de

Keywords

human; Review; Euthanasia; social support; suicide attempt; medical ethics; emergency medicine; palliative therapy; Assisted suicide; health care planning; clinical decision making; Palliative sedation; Advance care planning; Emergency ethics