[Role of the influence of cultural and religious beliefs on medical end-of-life decision-making].

Role of the influence of cultural and religious beliefs on medical end-of-life decision-making Abstract. Decision-making at the end of life must encompass medical indication, therapeutic offer, patient autonomy and consent. Furthermore, physicians must reflect on whether their own cultural and religious beliefs have an influence on their decision-making process. Basic knowledge in palliative care or integration of experts in palliative care may be useful when dealing with patients at the end of life, particularly when shifting treatment goals to palliative or comfort care measures is considered or necessary. Expertise in palliative care may also be useful in the care for patients well before the end of life, for example in symptom management, wound care, communication with family or psycho-social care. Ideally, goals of care should be discussed with the patient. Decision-making includes judging, respecting individual values, caring and taking on responsibility - including responsibility for potentially wrong choices. It is imperative that respect for patient autonomy and increasingly strengthened patient competence must be reflected in physicians' reasoning about medical and ethical end-of-life decisions, as well as about empirical and normative aspects of medical indication.