‘I am old, and I will rather abandon life with my eyes open’: a qualitative study of Norwegians aged 80 and older explaining their intensive care unit admission preferences

BACKGROUND: The treatment preferences of patients aged 80 and older in the event of acute critical illness vary widely and are difficult to predict. To provide the appropriate level of care, it is necessary to better understand their personal treatment goals. OBJECTIVE: To gain insight into the underlying reasoning for intensive care unit (ICU) admission preferences in hypothetical events of acute critical illness stated by Norwegian survey …