Improving Health Care Provider Communication in End-of-Life Decision-Making

Improving Health Care Provider Communication in End-of-Life Decision-Making

Wilson T; Haut C; Akintade B

Aacn Advanced Critical Care

2017

Communication; Critically Ill; End-of-life; Family Meeting; Intensive Care

Critical care providers are responsible for many aspects of patient care, primarily focusing on preserving life. However, nearly 40% of patients who are admitted to an adult critical care unit will not survive. Initiating a conversation about end-of-life decision-making is a daunting task. Often, health care providers are not trained, experienced, or comfortable facilitating these conversations. This article describes a quality improvement project that identified current views on end-of-life communication in the intensive care unit and potential barriers that obstruct open discussion, and offering strategies for improvement.
©2017 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

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August 2017 List