20.500.12556/DiRROS-29851 Navigating the shadows medical professionals' values and perspectives on end-of-life care within pediatric intensive care units in Croatia Background and aim: This study explores healthcare professionals' perspectives on end-of-life care in pediatric intensive care units (ICUs) in Croatia, aiming to illuminate their experiences with such practices, underlying attitudes, and major decision-making considerations. Amid the high variability, complexity, and emotional intensity of pediatric end-of-life decisions and practices, understanding these perspectives is crucial for improving care and policies. Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional survey intended for physicians and nurses across all pediatric ICUs in Croatia. It included healthcare professionals from six neonatal and four pediatric ICUs in total. As the data from neonatal and pediatric ICUs were examined jointly, the term pediatric ICU was used to denominate both types of ICUs. A statistical analysis was performed using Python and JASP, focusing on professional roles, professional experience, and regional differences. Results: The study included a total of 103 participants (with an overall response rate-in relation to the whole target population-of 48% for physicians and 29% for nurses). The survey revealed diverse attitudes toward and experiences with various aspects of end-of-life care, with a significant portion of healthcare professionals indicating infrequent involvement in life-sustaining treatment (LST) limitation discussions and decisions, as well as somewhat ambiguous attitudes regarding such practices. Notably, discrepancies emerged between different professional roles and, in particular, regions, underscoring the high variability of LST limitation-related procedures. Conclusions: The findings highlight a pressing need for more straightforward guidelines, legal frameworks, support mechanisms, and communication strategies to navigate the complex terrain of rather burdensome end-of-life pediatric care, which is intrinsically loaded with profound ethical quandaries. end of life ethics healthcare professionals intensive care intensive care units pediatrics withdrawing withholding konec življenja etika zdravstveni delavci intenzivna nega enote za intenzivno nego pediatrija opustitev odtegnitev true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Neznano 2026-06-08 13:49:35 2026-06-08 13:49:36 2026-06-09 03:49:22 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2024 0 0 Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Opis vira z dne 6. 9. 2024; str. 1-14 iss. [article no.] 1394071 Vol. 12 Avg. 2024 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 616-053.2 2296-2360 10.3389/fped.2024.1394071 206576387 RAZ_Curkovic_Marko_2024.pdf RAZ_Curkovic_Marko_2024.pdf 1 78F4858DBA6620EAA227BC0D7BA32E1F af8b82e44578c3951e5192614148f55712ee173c56277132a7cbfd4253689fd9 4ddba80e-6330-11f1-9215-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=44907 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2024.1394071/full 1 20fcd2ed-6330-11f1-9215-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=44906 Univerzitetni klinični center Ljubljana 0 0 0