Factors influencing communication and decision-making about life-sustaining technology during serious illness: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to identify factors influencing communication and decision-making, and to learn how physicians and nurses view their roles in deciding about the use of life-sustaining technology for seriously ill hospitalised patients and their families. DESIGN: The qualitative study used Flanagan's critical incident technique to guide interpretive description of open-ended in-depth individual interviews.