Attitudinal patterns determining decision-making in severely ill elderly patients: a cross-cultural comparison between nurses from Sweden and Germany

To explain determinants in the decision-making of nurses in the treatment of severely ill incompetent patients and to describe underlying attitudes, consecutive samples of nurses from Germany and Sweden have been investigated by means of a case scenario and a questionnaire. Whereas the level of dementia emerged as the only factor being significantly related with the treatment option within the Swedish group, patient's age, patient's wishes and ethical concerns were correlated among German nurses. The more the nurses have been able to participate in the provision of the available do-not-resuscitate order or of an advance directive, the less frequent they would perform CPR against the patient's wishes.