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Responses regarding whether neurosurgery should be performed |
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| Argument |
Doctors/public |
Percentage (CI) |
Priority (%) |
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| Surgery should be performed because it is the first task of health care to safe lives |
Doctors Public |
12.9 (9.0–16.8) 78.3 (74.7–81.9) |
4.5% 29.8% |
| A neurosurgeon refers to experience from a successful case two years ago; thus the surgery should be performed |
Doctors Public |
25.0 (20.0–30.0) 80.8 (77.3–84.3) |
11.1% 23.6% |
| Surgery should be performed because otherwise it might be interpreted as a kind of euthanasia |
Doctors Public |
5.6 (2.9–8.3) 55.4 (51.0–59.8) |
1.2% 2.5% |
| Surgery should be performed because the son has asked the doctor to do anything to save his mother's life |
Doctors Public |
8.7 (5.4–12.0) 58.9 (54.5–63.3) |
0.5% 3.9% |
| Surgery should be avoided since the patient's quality of life would be greatly reduced |
Doctors Public |
82.8 (78.5–87.1) 40.6 (36.3–44.9) |
61.5% 12.5% |
| Surgery should be avoided due to the age of the patient |
Doctors Public |
18.8 (14.3–23.3) 18.2 (14.8–21.6) |
1.6% 2.8% |
| Surgery should be avoided due to the cost and the uncertain result |
Doctors Public |
15.8 (11.6–20.0) 15.7 (12.5–18.9) |
0.8% 2.3% |
| Surgery should be avoided due to the patient's wish not to end up in a persistent vegetative state |
Doctors Public |
71.6 (66.3–76.9) 54.5 (50.1–58.9) |
18.4% 22.6% |
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This table shows the response pattern of the doctors and members of the general public who answered the question regrding whether neurosurgery should be performed in a formerly healthy 72-year-old patient suffering from a major haemorrhage in the left central part of the brain. The results are presented as proportions of those who agreed 'mostly' or 'entirely', with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The percentages of those who considered the argument to be the most important are also presented | |||
Rydvall and Lynöe Critical Care 2008 12:R13 doi:10.1186/cc6786 |
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