Nurses challenging to terminate irrelevant treatment prior to end of life patient

Abstract

Observations were done since 2008 in hospital, community concluded that end of life patients, and families did not understand how to respond to advance treatment. Besides, there were no similar standard of procedure applied into patients. There were some doctors told the families about patients' conditions and some did not. Moreover, some families understood that patients' condition could not be cured, but in dying process, the physicians suggested to be treated in an intensive care unit. In this situation, the families did not have any choice instead of to follow the physician suggestion. Indonesian's health care system that embrace doctor's domination over decision-making on patient treatment exists, although nurse has their own skills, function and knowledge that need to be incorporated in the treatment plan. On the other hand, nurses do not have initiatives to challenge this system in health care structure. This study refers to a Philosophical Carol Gilligan Theory, and Bakker & Zubair Qualitative Method of Philosophical Research. The results were divided into 2 groups: firstly were the nurses who were mostly women had their limitation to raise up their profession, and secondly, the basic nurses education was insufficient to encounter the doctors.