The perils of medico-legal advocacy in ICU conflicts at the end of life: A qualitative study of what happens when advocacy and best interests collide.

An unexplored aspect of conflicts and conflict resolution in the ICU at EOL is the role of advocacy in both medicine and law.

GOAL: Qualitative study to explore perspectives of SDM/patient lawyers on issues of advocacy at EOL to better understand conflicts and resolution processes.

METHODS: Purposive sampling with criterion and snowball techniques were used to recruit 11 experienced lawyers for semi-structured interviews. Interviews explored respondents' beliefs, views, and experiences with conflicts; were audio-recorded, coded inductively and iteratively following interpretive analysis. Recurring themes were identified using NVivo Qualitative Software.

RESULTS: We interviewed 11 participants and achieved conceptual saturation. Participants identified insufficient advocacy and overaggressive advocacy as major contributors to the initiation of ICU conflicts and the inhibition of resolution processes before and after the legal system is engaged. These breakdowns in advocacy contribute to challenges when conflicts arise, leading to prolongation of conflict-resolution processes and to outcomes that sometimes reflect the goals of legal advocacy rather than patient-centred goals.

CONCLUSION: This study explores legal perspective of conflict at EOL and how these perspectives can be used to inform the development of better approaches to conflict resolution.