Healthcare professionals’ experiences of participating in withdrawing life-sustaining treatment decisions in a Chinese intensive care unit: a qualitative study

The decision to withdraw LST presents multifaceted challenges, including conflicts arising from personal and professional differences among healthcare providers and the emotional complexities intrinsic to the process. Nurses, often constrained by clinical hierarchies and professional limitations, frequently have minimal influence in decision-making teams. Furthermore, communication between healthcare professionals and patients remains insufficient. To enhance the efficacy of decision-making in end-of-life care, improving interdisciplinary collaboration and fostering patient-centered trust are critical.