Description:

The Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities presents

a lecture

with

Douglas B. White, MD, MAS

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Department of Critical Care Medicine

Vice Chair and Professor of Critical Care Medicine

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Endowed Chair for
Ethics in Critical Care Medicine

Director, Program on Ethics and Decision Making in Critical Illness

Understanding the Causes of Misperceptions About Prognosis Among Surrogate Decision-Makers in ICUs

Surrogate decision-makers in ICUs often have inaccurate expectations about their
loved one’s prognosis. This is a problem because prognostic information influences treatment decisions near the end of life. Although the cause of the disconnect about prognosis is often attributed to misunderstandings by surrogates of physicians' prognostications, this assumption has not been empirically validated. This presentation will address empirical work on the causes and consequences of discordance about prognosis. It will also address the development of an intervention to improve surrogate decision-making in ICUs.

Objectives:

1. To explore the causes and consequences of misperceptions about prognosis among surrogate decision-makers in ICUs.
2. To describe the development of an intervention to improve surrogate decision-making in ICUs.