Almost one-third of deaths in the United States take place in intensive care units. Critical care health providers report high levels of stress and burnout when working with end-of-life (EOL) care. Although various EOL care interventions have been developed, little evidence is available on their use in practice.
Palma and colleagues conducted focus groups with physicians, nurses, and nursing assistants in Chile to explore their perceptions of EOL care. The major themes include
The findings show the need for interprofessional collaborative strategies to support all critical care staff. The authors suggest communication training to build care providers’ confidence in EOL care.
See Article, pp 24-32.
Delirium affects up to 80% of all patients in intensive care units (ICUs). This costly complication (>$182 billion nationally) has been associated with long-term cognitive and functional deterioration. Standardized screening tools, such as the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU), are widely used...
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