Abstract

Despite growing involvement of patients in treatment decisions for serious illness, little is yet known about the actual process that they use to make such choices. Most decision research has relied on hypothetical decision situations under controlled laboratory conditions to test deductively derived theories. The purpose of this study was to generate a substantive theory that describes the patient decision making process for treatment of End-Stage Renal Disease, a condition that leads to death without dialysis or transplantation.

The study employed a qualitative, longitudinal design using grounded theory methodology. Sixteen persons with declining renal function consented to a total of 33 audiotaped, semi-structured interviews conducted at various points in the decision making process. Data were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Trustworthiness of the findings was supported by evidence of credibility and dependability.

Description

This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 9713065; ProQuest document ID: 304303526. The author still retains copyright.

Author Details

Mary Lucia Feild, PhD, MS, BS

Sigma Membership

Alpha Chi

Type

Dissertation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Grounded Theory

Research Approach

Qualitative Research

Keywords:

Renal Disease, Patient Care, Treatment Decision Making Process, Life-Sustaining Treatment

Advisor

Marjory Gordon

Second Advisor

David Karp

Third Advisor

Dorothy A. Jones

Degree

PhD

Degree Grantor

Boston College

Degree Year

1996

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2021-11-16

Full Text of Presentation

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