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Critical care nursing update: ethical considerations & the role of family in the ICU

Ethical challenges are part of everyday ICU nursing — particularly when family views conflict with clinical decisions or cultural and religious beliefs influence patient management or end-of-life care. In this final session of the Critical Care Nursing Update Series, we’ll explore how to manage complex ethical situations, and support families during difficult decision-making about the care of their loved ones.

Why you should attend

Critical care is a uniquely complex setting for ethical decision-making. Life-sustaining treatments, sudden deterioration, and unconscious patients mean decisions regularly need to be made on behalf of others - often under time pressures. Common dilemmas include:

  • continuing or withdrawing life sustaining treatment 

  • disagreements between family members and treating teams

  • balancing resource allocation and patient needs

  • managing patients with no advance care directives or substitute decision maker

ICU nurses are a constant presence at the bedside. We advocate, interpret, witness suffering, and support families during some of the hardest decisions of their lives. Our bedside care includes a clinical, compassionate, and empathetic approach to ethical decision making. There is often conflict between decision-makers; nurses are commonly the go-between or advocates in these situations. These complexities will be discussed during the interactive case-based webinar focussing on:

  • The dilemma of continuing futile life-sustaining care in the ICU

  • Family conflict over withdrawal of care and treatment options

  • Cultural and religious considerations in ethical decisions

  • Communication breakdowns in ethically complex cases

This is a Medcast Continuing Medical Education (CME) course.

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Course Educators
Susan Helmrich
Susan Helmrich

Susan Helmrich RN, DipAppScNsg, BN, CritCareCert, CoronaryCareCert, TraumaNsgCareCert, CertIV(TAE), MN(Ed), GradCert(Ldrshp & Mgt) has extensive experience ...

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Medcast

Live Webinar

Thursday 26 June 2025

26/06/2025 7:00 pm (Sydney time)

Australia/Sydney

Duration: 1 HR CPD

1 hour of CPD

Educational Activities: 1 hours

Program Level Requirements: Culturally Safe Practice, Professionalism and Ethical Practice

Areas Of Interest: Critical Care, Patient safety

Audience

Nurses, Nurse Practitioners

Price $75.00 AUD (incl. GST)

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