Decision-Making by Same-Sex Partners of Patients Dying in Critical Care Settings: Access and Impact
Principal Investigator: RA Engelberg
Research Grant: National Palliative Care Research Center, July 2011 to June 2013
The specific aims of this study are: 1) to identify barriers and facilitators to participating in decision-making by same-gender partners of critically ill patients unable to make their own end-of-life decisions through interviews with those surviving partners; 2) to assess the impact of experiences associated with decision-making for critically ill partners on surviving partners’ psychological outcomes; and 3) to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of using innovative research strategies designed for small, hidden and marginalized populations. Participants will be asked to complete semi-structured interviews and short questionnaires. This study will serve as an important first step in describing and shaping best practices for non-discriminatory end-of-life care with the goal of improving the quality of care provided to critically ill patients in same-gender relationships and their partners.
Publications from this study include:
Danae Dotolo, Taryn Lindhorst, Susan P. Kemp, and Ruth A. Engelberg. 2018. “Expanding Conceptualizations of Social Justice across All Levels of Social Work Practice: Recognition Theory and Its Contributions.” Social Service Review 92 (2): 143–70.