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Table 2 Present difficulties and future opportunities for relatives involved in SDM in open ICUs

From: New perspectives on substituted relational autonomy for shared decision-making in critical care

Difficulties

Opportunities

• Understanding medical information

Appreciating consequences

Relevance accorded to technical and clinical information

Emotional context

• Involvement in regular meetings

Collect and trace relevant data on the basis of clinical changes

Prevent and detect misunderstandings

Benefit from regular and effective communication

• Assuming moral responsibility for the wishes of the patient

Defining relatives’ personal values and priorities

Defining power of attorney (conflicts within relatives)

• Provide patient’s personal information

Perceived health-related quality of life

Character and will to live (demonstrated resilience)

History of illness

• Low accuracy in predicting patient’s preferences

• Disagreements about goals of care (especially in end-of-life situations)

• Share responsibilities

Possibility to engage with the interdisciplinary team

Possibility to check other sources of information (web, social media)

• Exposure to emotional burden and psychological disorders

• Maintain and share intimacy with patient