Introducing palliative care into the intensive care unit: An interventional study

•Palliative care should be integrated into the work of all ICU practitioners.•Nurses learned how to improve and sustain palliative care attitudes and behaviors.•Despite barriers, participants were partially able to implement their training. Many Intensive Care Unit (ICU) deaths include patient and f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Heart & lung 2020-11, Vol.49 (6), p.915-921
Main Authors: Ganz, Freda DeKeyser, Ben Nun, Maureen, Raanan, Ofra
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
Humans
Intensive care
Intensive Care Units
Knowledge
Nurse
Palliative Care
Practices
Terminal Care
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Summary:•Palliative care should be integrated into the work of all ICU practitioners.•Nurses learned how to improve and sustain palliative care attitudes and behaviors.•Despite barriers, participants were partially able to implement their training. Many Intensive Care Unit (ICU) deaths include patient and family suffering. While there is a need to include palliative care in the ICU, such care is often unavailable. To determine whether a course in ICU Palliative Care was associated with changes in participants' palliative care knowledge, attitudes and practices. Four cohorts of a national Israeli course in ICU palliative care (N = 122) were followed. Data were collected on the first and last day of a six-month course and 2–5 years later. Statistically significant differences were found in palliative care attitudes and practices, with knowledge levels and quality of death and dying stable after course completion. Participants reported obtaining knowledge and skills necessary to introduce palliative care but were thwarted by organizational barriers. The course was successful in building participants capacity to provide palliative care however; barriers made introduction of palliative care into the ICU difficult.
ISSN:0147-9563
1527-3288
DOI:10.1016/j.hrtlng.2020.07.006