When Treatment Fails: How Medicine Cares for Dying Children 2006

The medical care of the terminally ill is one of the most emotive and controversial issues facing the public today. With advances in medicine and technology, end-of-life care is becoming increasingly individualised and uncertain, guided less by science and more by values and beliefs. The crux of the controversy is when to withhold or withdraw treatment . In all the excitement and controversy, what is unfortunately overlooked is the enormous pressure that caring for terminally ill patients puts on medical staff when dealing with patients and their families and making life-or-death decisions. This pressure - the psychological strain and constant uncertainty - is intensified when the patients are children. David Bearison looks at this controversial issue from the perspective of medical staff caring for dying children. Bearison's book is able to move beyond broad, abstract ideas about end-of-life care to convey the contexts of such care, including complications, misunderstandings, frustrations, confusion and unexpected setbacks. As well as discussing questions about withholding or withdrawing treatment, When Treatment Fails explores the key issues facing clinicians who care for dying children regarding education and training, peer relationships, communication with patients and families, and finally coping with difficult situations.