Implications for practice and research

• Nurse–physician relationships influence end-of-life decision experiences.

• Nurses’ end-of-life decision-making is influenced largely by emphathy toward their patients; physicians are influenced more by consideration of patients’ families.

• Future research should focus on the relationship between family care and family outcomes during end-of-life decisions, and the effects of nurse and physician moral distress and burnout.

Context

End-of-life decisions are difficult for patients, family members, as well as healthcare professionals, and occur frequently in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting.1–3 It is well documented that communication challenges during decisions about life-sustaining treatments are a source of moral distress.2 4 Inadequate nurse–physician collaboration …