scholarly journals An Intensive Care Unit Team Reflects on End-of-Life Experiences With Patients and Families in Chile

2022 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-32
Author(s):  
Alejandra Palma ◽  
Verónica Aliaga-Castillo ◽  
Luz Bascuñan ◽  
Verónica Rojas ◽  
Fernando Ihl ◽  
...  

Background Deaths in the intensive care unit (ICU) represent an experience of suffering for patients, their families, and professionals. End-of-life (EOL) care has been added to the responsibilities of the ICU team, but the evidence supporting EOL care is scarce, and there are many barriers to implementing the clinical recommendations that do exist. Objectives To explore the experiences and perspectives of the various members of an ICU care team in Chile regarding the EOL care of their patients. Methods A qualitative study was performed in the ICU of a high-complexity academic urban hospital. The study used purposive sampling with focus groups as a data collection method. A narrative analysis based on grounded theory was done. Results Four discipline-specific focus groups were conducted; participants included 8 nurses, 6 nursing assistants, 8 junior physicians, and 6 senior physicians. The main themes that emerged in the analysis were emotional impact and barriers to carrying out EOL care. The main barriers identified were cultural difficulties related to decision-making, lack of interprofessional clinical practice, and lack of effective communication. Communication difficulties within the team were described along with lack of self-efficacy for family-centered communication. Conclusion These qualitative findings expose gaps in care that must be filled to achieve high-quality EOL care in the ICU. Significant emotional impact, barriers related to EOL decision-making, limited interprofessional clinical practice, and communication difficulties were the main findings cross-referenced.

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Albertus Budi Arianto ◽  
Yanny Trisyani ◽  
Etika Emiliyawati

 ABSTRACTThe end-of-life (EOL) care is the progressive terminal illness, leading to death; that in the situation the nurse have significant role in decision making. In decision making, temporarily, the nurse will experiences the ethical dilemmas, including in intensive care unit (ICU) with any factors resulting in problem in medical decision making. The literature review intends to analyze the description of ethical dilemmas occurred in intensive care unit, especially to the EOL care. A method used is critical review full text of 2007-2018 periods in English langguage. The multiple databases used is PubMed, Proquest and Google Scholar with keyword “End of Life Care” and “Nursing Ethic in critical care” and “issue End-of-life critical care”, and “Dilemmas Ethic in ICU.” The articles selected gradually by using of Appraisal tool of PRISMA and obtained 21 articles. The literature study obtaining 4 themes related to description of the ethical dilemmas in ICU including (1) the ethical principle involved in EOL care at ICU, (2) resource of ethical conflict in ICU, (3) impact of ethical conflict in ICU, and (4) response of nurse in dealing with ethical dilemmas. The discussion of literature review related to the perception of nurse on EOL care; that nurse have important role in medical decision making involving ethical principle in the implementation. it is required further research on exploration of nurse experience on implementation of ethical principle in case of EOL care.ABSTRAKPerawatan end of life (EOL) merupakan suatu perawatan pada penyakit terminal yang bersifat progresif, yang akan berujung dengan kematian, pada kondisi ini perawat mempunyai peran dalam pengambilan keputusan perawatan. Terkadang dalam pengambilan keputusan ini perawat akan mengalami kondisi dilema etik, tak terkecuali di ruangan intensive care unit dimana diruangan tersebut banyak faktor yang mengakibatkan kesulitan dalam pengambilan keputusan medis. Literature reviews ini bertujuan untuk menganalisia gambaran dilema etik yang terjadi di area intensive khususnya pada kasus end of life care. Metode yang digunakan adalah critical review full text dengan rentang tahun 2007-2018 dalam Bahasa Inggris. Multiple database yang digunakan adalah PubMed, Proquest dan Google Scholar merupakan database yang digunakan, dengan kata kunci “End Of Life Care” and “Nursing Ethic in critical care” and “issue End-of-life in critical care”, and“Dilema Ethic in ICU”. Artikel diseleksi bertahap menggunakan Appraisal tool PRISMA dan didapatkan 21 artikel. Studi literatur diperoleh 4 tema terkait gambaran dilema etik di ruang ICU diantaranya (1) Prinsip etik yang terlibat dalam end of life care di ICU, (2) Sumber konflik etik di ICU, (3) Dampak konflik etik di ICU, dan (4) Respon perawat dalam menghadapi dilema etik. Pembahasan telaah literatur ini terkait persepsi perawat mengenai perawatan end of life, dimana perawat mempunyai peran penting dalam pengambilan keputusan medis yang melibatkan prinsip etik dalam pelaksanaannya. Diperlukan penelitian lebih lanjut mengenai eksplorasi pengalaman perawat terhadap implementasi prinsip etik pada kasus perawatan menjelang ajal.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Tavares ◽  
I Neves ◽  
F Coelho ◽  
O Afonso ◽  
A Martins ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 270-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranveig Lind

Background: Relatives of intensive care unit patients who lack or have reduced capacity to consent are entitled to information and participation in decision-making together with the patient. Practice varies with legislation in different countries. In Norway, crucial decisions such as withdrawing treatment are made by clinicians, usually morally justified to relatives with reference to the principle of non-maleficence. The relatives should, however, be consulted about whether they know what the patient would have wished in the situation. Research objectives: To examine and describe relatives’ experiences of responsibility in the intensive care unit decision-making process. Research design: A secondary analysis of interviews with bereaved relatives of intensive care unit patients was performed, using a narrative analytical approach. Participants and research context: In all, 27 relatives of 21 deceased intensive care unit patients were interviewed about their experiences from the end-of-life decision-making process. Most interviews took place in the participants’ homes, 3–12 months after the patient’s death. Ethical considerations: Based on informed consent, the study was approved by the Data Protection Official of the Norwegian Social Science Data Services and by the Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics. Findings: The results show that intensive care unit relatives experienced a sense of responsibility in the decision-making process, independently of clinicians’ intention of sparing them. Some found this troublesome. Three different variants of participation were revealed, ranging from paternalism to a more active role for relatives. Discussion: For the study participants, the sense of responsibility reflects the fact that ethics and responsibility are grounded in the individual’s relationship to other people. Relatives need to be included in a continuous dialogue over time to understand decisions and responsibility. Conclusion: Nurses and physicians should acknowledge and address relatives’ sense of responsibility, include them in regular dialogue and help them separate their responsibility from that of the clinicians.


2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Gedney Baggs ◽  
Madeline H. Schmitt ◽  
Thomas J. Prendergast ◽  
Sally A. Norton ◽  
Craig R. Sellers ◽  
...  

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