5 Questions by Gustav Orling

Why did you choose to conduct the study?

Early in the epidemic, we received ethical permission to collect data on the patient population. When there were indications that survival differed between hospitals, we began looking for possible explanations for this. The practice of treatment restrictions in the care department was a possible factor in this context.

The proportion of decisions to reduce life-sustaining treatment is no different among hospitals in Jönköping County. What conclusion did you draw from this?

– Denotes decisions according to equal bases, and this is reassuring.

In only 7.5 per cent of decisions, consultation with both the patient and relatives was documented. Are you surprised by this low percentage?

– No, this lack of consultation also appears in the studies to which we refer, so we were not surprised. Changing practice takes time.

You write that there is potential for improvement when it comes to consultation during these decisions. How can doctors make an improvement?

– First of all, I think attention is needed regarding the problem, for example through this article.

Are you going to do several analyzes on the same topic?

– We have other projects underway, which are looking at managing the pandemic and its potential impacts on displacement.