Does choosing to stop dialysis mean that staff and family have let the patient down?
A. The short answer to this question is “No.” Patients usually choose to stop dialysis because they are no longer satisfied with their quality of life. When a patient asks about stopping dialysis, it is important for the renal care team to evaluate the patient to be sure that there are no treatable, reversible causes of the patient’s dissatisfaction with dialysis. If after a full evaluation and therapeutic interventions as appropriate, the patient makes an informed decision to stop dialysis, the patient’s wishes should be respected. Even after stopping dialysis, medical care should continue and patients’ symptoms should be treated. No one has “let the patient down” if a decision has been made to stop dialysis.
