Chapter Two
Section Two Summary
• Respect for patient autonomy was identified as the main
principle by healthcare professionals when deciding on
palliative sedation; however, our results suggest that it was
not put into practice in some clinical situations.
• Ethical issues related to palliative sedation can be
managed more efficiently if a good relationship is built
through continuous empathic communication between
patients, family members and healthcare professionals, as
part of a process.
• Guidelines and protocols appear to help and support
healthcare professionals in applying ethical principles in
complex clinical cases.
• Healthcare professionals appreciated the opportunity to
discuss ethical issues and most of them supported the
introduction and application of moral case deliberation in
clinical practice.
Key
Messages
Keywords
Palliative sedation, ethical issues, moral case
deliberation, autonomy, decision-making,
communication
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