Is there any consensus about end-of-life care in pediatrics?
PedPal Lit; Adolescent Analgesics Child Child; Newborn Morals Neuromuscular Blockade Pediatrics/ethics Terminal Care/ethics/legislation & jurisprudence United States; Preschool ConsensusDecision Making Euthanasia/ethics/legislation & jurisprudence Humans Infant Infant
2005
Burns JP; Mitchell C
Archives Of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
2005
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.159.9.889" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1001/archpedi.159.9.889</a>
Barbiturates in the care of the terminally ill
Child; Female; Humans; Adult; "Hypnotics and Sedatives"; Ethics; Medical; Palliative Care/standards; Pain/drug therapy; Analgesia/methods; Sarcoma; Terminal Care/methods/standards; Astrocytoma/nursing; Barbiturates/administration & dosage; Ewing's/nursing; Mechanical; Multiple Organ Failure/nursing; Sarcoma/physiopathology/secondary; Spinal Cord Neoplasms/physiopathology/secondary; Spinal Neoplasms/nursing; Ventilators
1992
Truog RD; Berde CB; Mitchell C; Grier HE
The New England Journal Of Medicine
1992
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1056/nejm199212033272311" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1056/nejm199212033272311</a>
End-of-life care in the pediatric intensive care unit after the forgoing of life-sustaining treatment
Humans; Intensive Care Units; Attitude of Health Personnel; Prospective Studies; Life Support Care; Job Satisfaction; Pediatric; infant; ICU Decision Making; Analgesics/administration & dosage; Hypnotics and Sedatives/administration & dosage; Terminal Care/methods; Ventilator Weaning
OBJECTIVE: To describe the attitudes and practice of clinicians in providing sedation and analgesia to dying patients as life-sustaining treatment is withdrawn. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective case series of 53 consecutive patients who died after the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment in the pediatric intensive care unit at three teaching hospitals in Boston. Data on the reasons why medications were given were obtained from a self-administered anonymous questionnaire completed by the critical care physician and nurse for each case. Data on what medications were given were obtained from a review of the medical record. RESULTS: Sedatives and/or analgesics were administered to 47 (89%) patients who died after the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. Patients who were comatose were less likely to receive these medications. Physicians and nurses cited treatment of pain, anxiety, and air hunger as the most common reasons, and hastening death as the least common reason, for administration of these medications. Hastening death was viewed as an "acceptable, unintended side effect" of terminal care by 91% of physician-nurse matched pairs. The mean dose of sedatives and analgesics administered nearly doubled as life-support was withdrawn, and the degree of escalation in dose did not correlate with clinician's views on hastening death. CONCLUSION: Clinicians frequently escalate the dose of sedatives or analgesics to dying patients as life-sustaining treatment is withdrawn, citing patient-centered reasons as their principle justification. Hastening death is seen as an unintended consequence of appropriate care. A large majority of physicians and nurses agreed with patient management and were satisfied with the care provided. Care of the dying patient after the forgoing of life-sustaining treatment remains underanalyzed and needs more rigorous examination by the critical care community.
2000
Burns JP; Mitchell C; Outwater KM; Geller M; Griffith JL; Todres ID; Truog RD
Critical Care Medicine
2000
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1097/00003246-200008000-00064" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1097/00003246-200008000-00064</a>
End-of-life care in the pediatric intensive care unit: attitudes and practices of pediatric critical care physicians and nurses
Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; United States; Intensive Care Units; Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel; Medical Staff; Questionnaires; Middle Aged; Attitude to Death; Multivariate Analysis; Hospitals; Analysis of Variance; Child Advocacy; Ethics; Medical; Nursing Staff; Practice; Pediatric; Empirical Approach; Death and Euthanasia; Attitudes; decision making; Health Knowledge; ICU Decision Making; Nursing; Pediatrics/methods; Critical Care/organization & administration/psychology; Hospital/education/psychology; Physician's Practice Patterns/organization & administration; Terminal Care/organization & administration/psychology
OBJECTIVE: To determine the attitudes and practices of pediatric critical care attending physicians and pediatric critical care nurses on end-of-life care. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: A random sample of clinicians at 31 pediatric hospitals in the United States. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The survey was completed by 110/130 (85%) physicians and 92/130 (71%) nurses. The statement that withholding and withdrawing life support is unethical was not endorsed by any of the physicians or nurses. More physicians (78%) than nurses (57%) agreed or strongly agreed that withholding and withdrawing are ethically the same (p < .001). Physicians were more likely than nurses to report that families are well informed about the advantages and limitations of further therapy (99% vs. 89%; p < .003); that ethical issues are discussed well within the team (92% vs. 59%; p < .0003), and that ethical issues are discussed well with the family (91% vs. 79%; p < .0002). On multivariable analyses, fewer years of practice in pediatric critical care was the only clinician characteristic associated with attitudes on end-of-life care dissimilar to the consensus positions reached by national medical and nursing organizations on these issues. There was no association between clinician characteristics such as their political or religious affiliation, practice-related variables such as the size of their intensive care unit or the presence of residents and fellows, and particular attitudes about end-of-life care. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly two-thirds of pediatric critical care physicians and nurses express views on end-of-life care in strong agreement with consensus positions on these issues adopted by national professional organizations. Clinicians with fewer years of pediatric critical care practice are less likely to agree with this consensus. Compared with physicians, nurses are significantly less likely to agree that families are well informed and ethical issues are well discussed when assessing actual practice in their intensive care unit. More collaborative education and regular case review on bioethical issues are needed as part of standard practice in the intensive care unit.
2001
Burns JP; Mitchell C; Griffith JL; Truog RD
Critical Care Medicine
2001
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1097/00003246-200103000-00036" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1097/00003246-200103000-00036</a>