J. Randall Curtis

Recommendations for end-of-life care in the intensive care unit: A consensus statement by the American College of Critical Care Medicine

Background:These recommendations have been developed to improve the care of intensive care unit (ICU) patients during the dying process. The recommendations build on those published in 2003 and highlight recent developments in the field from a U.S. perspective. They do not use an evidence grading system because most of the recommendations are based on ethical and legal principles that are not derived from empirically based evidence. Principal Findings:Family-centered care, which emphasizes the importance of the social structure within which patients are embedded, has emerged as a comprehensive ideal for managing end-of-life care in the ICU. ICU clinicians should be competent in all aspects of this care, including the practical and ethical aspects of withdrawing different modalities of life-sustaining treatment and the use of sedatives, analgesics, and nonpharmacologic approaches to easing the suffering of the dying process. Several key ethical concepts play a foundational role in guiding end-of-life care, including the distinctions between withholding and withdrawing treatments, between actions of killing and allowing to die, and between consequences that are intended vs. those that are merely foreseen (the doctrine of double effect). Improved communication with the family has been shown to improve patient care and family outcomes. Other knowledge unique to end-of-life care includes principles for notifying families of a patient’s death and compassionate approaches to discussing options for organ donation. End-of-life care continues even after the death of the patient, and ICUs should consider developing comprehensive bereavement programs to support both families and the needs of the clinical staff. Finally, a comprehensive agenda for improving end-of-life care in the ICU has been developed to guide research, quality improvement efforts, and educational curricula. Conclusions:End-of-life care is emerging as a comprehensive area of expertise in the ICU and demands the same high level of knowledge and competence as all other areas of ICU practice.

Family satisfaction with family conferences about end-of-life care in the intensive care unit: Increased proportion of family speech is associated with increased satisfaction

Objective:Family members of critically ill patients report dissatisfaction with family-clinician communication about withdrawing life support, yet limited data exist to guide clinicians in this communication. The hypothesis of this analysis was that increased proportion of family speech during ICU family conferences would be associated with increased family satisfaction. Design:Cross-sectional study. Setting:We identified family conferences in intensive care units of four Seattle hospitals during which discussions about withdrawing life support were likely to occur. Participants:Participants were 214 family members from 51 different families. There were 36 different physicians leading the conferences, as some physicians led more than one conference. Interventions:Fifty-one conferences were audiotaped. Measurements:We measured the duration of time that families and clinicians spoke during the conference. All participants were given a survey assessing satisfaction with communication. Results:The mean conference time was 32.0 mins with an sd of 14.8 mins and a range from 7 to 74 mins. On average, family members spoke 29% and clinicians spoke 71% of the time. Increased proportion of family speech was significantly associated with increased family satisfaction with physician communication. Increased proportion of family speech was also associated with decreased family ratings of conflict with the physician. There was no association between the duration of the conference and family satisfaction. Conclusions:This study suggests that allowing family members more opportunity to speak during conferences may improve family satisfaction. Future studies should assess the effect of interventions to increase listening by critical care clinicians on the quality of communication and the family experience.

A Measure of the Quality of Dying and Death: Initial Validation Using After-Death Interviews with Family Members

A reliable and valid measure of the quality of the dying experience would help clinicians and researchers improve care for dying patients. To describe the validity of an instrument assessing the quality of dying and death using the perspective of family members after death and to identify clinical correlates of a high quality death, a retrospective cohort study evaluated the 31-item Quality of Dying and Death (QODD) questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to family members of patients who died in Missoula county Montana in 1996 and 1997. The interview included questions assessing symptoms, patient preferences, and satisfaction with care. Measurement validity was examined for item and total scores and reliability analyses for the QODD total score were assessed. Construct validity was assessed using measures of concepts hypothesized to be associated with the quality of dying and death. There were 935 deaths, of which 252 (27.0%) family interviews were represented. Non-enrolled decedents were not significantly different from enrolled decedents on age, sex, cause of death, or location of death. We excluded sudden deaths (n = 45) and decedents under age 18 (n = 2), leaving 205 after-death interviews. A total QODD score, on a scale from 0 to 100 with higher scores indicating better quality, ranged from 26.0 to 99.6, with a mean of 67.4 and Cronbachs alpha of 0.89. The total QODD score was not associated with patient age, sex, education, marital status, or income. As hypothesized, higher QODD scores were significantly associated with death at home (P < 0.01), death in the location the patient desired (P < 0.01), lower symptom burden (P < 0.001), and better ratings of symptom treatment (P< 0.01). Although the total score was not associated with the presence of an advance directive, higher scores were associated with communication about treatment preferences (P < 0.01), compliance with treatment preferences (P < 0.001), and family satisfaction regarding communication with the health care team (P < 0.01). Availability of a health care team member at night or on weekends was also associated with a higher QODD score (P < 0.001). The QODD total score demonstrated good cross-sectional validity. Clinicians caring for dying patients should focus on improving communication with the patient and family and improving symptom assessment and treatment. Health care teams should focus on continuity of care, including having a team member familiar with the patient available for calls at nights and on weekends. Future work will assess the potential role of the QODD in improving the quality of the dying experience.

Association Between Acute Care and Critical Illness Hospitalization and Cognitive Function in Older Adults

CONTEXT Studies suggest that many survivors of critical illness experience long-term cognitive impairment but have not included premorbid measures of cognitive functioning and have not evaluated risk for dementia associated with critical illness. OBJECTIVES To determine whether decline in cognitive function was greater among older individuals who experienced acute care or critical illness hospitalizations relative to those not hospitalized and to determine whether the risk for incident dementia differed by these exposures. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Analysis of data from a prospective cohort study from 1994 through 2007 comprising 2929 individuals 65 years old and older without dementia at baseline residing in the community in the Seattle area and belonging to the Group Health Cooperative. Participants with 2 or more study visits were included, and those who had a hospitalization for a diagnosis of primary brain injury were censored at the time of hospitalization. Individuals were screened with the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) (score range, 0-100) every 2 years at follow-up visits, and those with a score less than 86 underwent a clinical examination for dementia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Score on the CASI at follow-up study visits and incident dementia diagnosed in study participants, adjusted for baseline cognitive scores, age, and other risk factors. RESULTS During a mean (SD) follow-up of 6.1 (3.2) years, 1601 participants had no hospitalization, 1287 had 1 or more noncritical illness hospitalizations, and 41 had 1 or more critical illness hospitalizations. The CASI score was assessed more than 45 days after discharge for 94.3% of participants. Adjusted CASI scores averaged 1.01 points lower for visits following acute care illness hospitalization compared with follow-up visits not following any hospitalization (95% confidence interval [CI], -1.33 to -0.70; P < .001) and 2.14 points lower on average for visits following critical illness hospitalization (95% CI, -4.24 to -0.03; P = .047). There were 146 cases of dementia among those not hospitalized, 228 cases of dementia among those with 1 or more noncritical illness hospitalizations, and 5 cases of dementia among those with 1 or more critical illness hospitalizations. The adjusted hazard ratio for incident dementia was 1.4 following a noncritical illness hospitalization (95% CI, 1.1 to 1.7; P = .001) and 2.3 following a critical illness hospitalization (95% CI, 0.9 to 5.7; P = .09). CONCLUSIONS Among a cohort of older adults without dementia at baseline, those who experienced acute care hospitalization and critical illness hospitalization had a greater likelihood of cognitive decline compared with those who had no hospitalization. Noncritical illness hospitalization was significantly associated with the development of dementia.

Intensive care unit quality improvement: A "how-to" guide for the interdisciplinary team*

Objective:Quality improvement is an important activity for all members of the interdisciplinary critical care team. Although an increasing number of resources are available to guide clinicians, quality improvement activities can be overwhelming. Therefore, the Society of Critical Care Medicine charged this Outcomes Task Force with creating a “how-to” guide that focuses on critical care, summarizes key concepts, and outlines a practical approach to the development, implementation, evaluation, and maintenance of an interdisciplinary quality improvement program in the intensive care unit. Data Sources and Methods:The task force met in person twice and by conference call twice to write this document. We also conducted a literature search on “quality improvement” and “critical care or intensive care” and searched online for additional resources. Data Synthesis and Overview:We present an overview of quality improvement in the intensive care unit setting and then describe the following steps for initiating or improving an interdisciplinary critical care quality improvement program: a) identify local motivation, support teamwork, and develop strong leadership; b) prioritize potential projects and choose the first target; c) operationalize the measures, build support for the project, and develop a business plan; d) perform an environmental scan to better understand the problem, potential barriers, opportunities, and resources for the project; e) create a data collection system that accurately measures baseline performance and future improvements; f) create a data reporting system that allows clinicians and others to understand the problem; g) introduce effective strategies to change clinician behavior. In addition, we identify four steps for evaluating and maintaining this program: a) determine whether the target is changing with periodic data collection; b) modify behavior change strategies to improve or sustain improvements; c) focus on interdisciplinary collaboration; and d) develop and sustain support from the hospital leadership. We also identify a number of online resources to complement this overview. Conclusions:This Society of Critical Care Medicine Task Force report provides an overview for clinicians interested in developing or improving a quality improvement program using a step-wise approach. Success depends not only on committed interdisciplinary work that is incremental and continuous but also on strong leadership. Further research is needed to refine the methods and identify the most cost-effective means of improving the quality of health care received by critically ill patients and their families.

Quality indicators for end-of-life care in the intensive care unit.

ObjectiveThe primary goal of this study was to address the documented deficiencies in end-of-life care (EOLC) in intensive care unit settings by identifying key EOLC domains and related quality indicators for use in the intensive care unit through a consensus process. A second goal was to propose specific clinician and organizational behaviors and interventions that might be used to improve these EOLC quality indicators. ParticipantsParticipants were the 36 members of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Critical Care End-of-Life Peer Workgroup and 15 nurse-physician teams from 15 intensive care units affiliated with the work group members. Fourteen adult medical, surgical, and mixed intensive care units from 13 states and the District of Columbia in the United States and one mixed intensive care unit in Canada were represented. MethodsAn in-depth literature review was conducted to identify articles that assessed the domains of quality of EOLC in the intensive care unit and general health care. Consensus regarding the key EOLC domains in the intensive care unit and quality performance indicators within each domain was established based on the review of the literature and an iterative process involving the authors and members of the RWJF Critical Care End-of-Life Peer Workgroup. Specific clinician and organizational behaviors and interventions to address the proposed EOLC quality indicators within the domains were identified through a collaborative process with the nurse-physician teams in 15 intensive care units. Measurements and Main ResultsSeven EOLC domains were identified for use in the intensive care unit: a) patient- and family-centered decision making; b) communication; c) continuity of care; d) emotional and practical support; e) symptom management and comfort care; f) spiritual support; and g) emotional and organizational support for intensive care unit clinicians. Fifty-three EOLC quality indicators within the seven domains were proposed. More than 100 examples of clinician and organizational behaviors and interventions that could address the EOLC quality indicators in the intensive care unit setting were identified. ConclusionsThese EOLC domains and the associated quality indicators, developed through a consensus process, provide clinicians and researchers with a framework for understanding quality of EOLC in the intensive care unit. Once validated, these indicators might be used to improve the quality of EOLC by serving as the components of an internal or external audit evaluating EOLC continuous quality improvement efforts in intensive care unit settings.

Epidemiologic Study of In-Hospital Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in the Elderly

BACKGROUND It is unknown whether the rate of survival after in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is improving and which characteristics of patients and hospitals predict survival. METHODS We examined fee-for-service Medicare data from 1992 through 2005 to identify beneficiaries 65 years of age or older who underwent CPR in U.S. hospitals. We examined temporal trends in the incidence of CPR and the rate of survival after CPR, as well as patient- and hospital-level predictors of survival to discharge. RESULTS We identified 433,985 patients who underwent in-hospital CPR; 18.3% of these patients (95% confidence interval [CI], 18.2 to 18.5) survived to discharge. The rate of survival did not change substantially during the period from 1992 through 2005. The overall incidence of CPR was 2.73 events per 1000 admissions; the incidence was higher among black and other nonwhite patients. The proportion of patients undergoing in-hospital CPR before death increased over time and was higher for nonwhite patients. The survival rate was lower among patients who were men, were older, had more coexisting illnesses, or were admitted from a skilled-nursing facility. The adjusted odds of survival for black patients were 23.6% lower than those for similar white patients (95% CI, 21.2 to 25.9). The association between race and survival was partially explained by hospital effects: black patients were more likely to undergo CPR in hospitals that have lower rates of post-CPR survival. Among patients surviving in-hospital CPR, the proportion of patients discharged home rather than to a health care facility decreased over time. CONCLUSIONS Survival after in-hospital CPR did not improve from 1992 through 2005. The proportion of in-hospital deaths preceded by CPR increased, whereas the proportion of survivors discharged home after undergoing CPR decreased. Black race was associated with higher rates of CPR but lower rates of survival after CPR.

Evaluating the Quality of Dying and Death

We propose a model for evaluating the quality of dying and death based on concepts elicited from literature review, qualitative interviews with persons with and without chronic and terminal conditions, and consideration of desirable measurement properties. We define quality of dying and death as the degree to which a persons preferences for dying and the moment of death agree with observations of how the person actually died, as reported by others. Expected level of agreement is modified by circumstances surrounding death that may prevent following patients prior preferences. Qualitative data analysis yielded six conceptual domains: symptoms and personal care, preparation for death, moment of death, family, treatment preferences, and whole person concerns. These domains encompass 31 aspects that can be rated by patients and others as to their importance prior to death and assessed by significant others or clinicians after death to assess the quality of the dying experience. The proposed model uses personal preferences about the dying experience to inform evaluation of this experience by others after death. This operational definition will guide validation of after-death reports of the quality of dying experience and evaluation of interventions to improve quality of end-of-life care.

Practical Guidance for Evidence-Based ICU Family Conferences

Because most critically ill patients lack decision-making capacity, physicians often ask family members to act as surrogates for the patient in discussions about the goals of care. Therefore, clinician-family communication is a central component of medical decision making in the ICU, and the quality of this communication has direct bearing on decisions made regarding care for critically ill patients. In addition, studies suggest that clinician-family communication can also have profound effects on the experiences and long-term mental health of family members. The purpose of this narrative review is to provide a context and rationale for improving the quality of communication with family members and to provide practical, evidence-based guidance on how to conduct this communication in the ICU setting. We emphasize the importance of discussing prognosis effectively, the key role of the integrated interdisciplinary team in this communication, and the importance of assessing spiritual needs and addressing barriers that can be raised by cross-cultural communication. We also discuss the potential value of protocols to encourage communication and the potential role of quality improvement for enhancing communication with family members. Last, we review issues regarding physician reimbursement for communication with family members within the context of the US health-care system. Communication with family members in the ICU setting is complex, and high-quality communication requires training and collaboration of a well-functioning interdisciplinary team. This communication also requires a balance between adhering to processes of care that are associated with improved outcomes and individualizing communication to the unique needs of the family.

Beyond mortality: Future clinical research in acute lung injury

Mortality in National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute-sponsored clinical trials of treatments for acute lung injury (ALI) has decreased dramatically during the past two decades. As a consequence, design of such trials based on a mortality outcome requires ever-increasing numbers of patients. Recognizing that advances in clinical trial design might be applicable to these trials and might allow trials with fewer patients, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute convened a workshop of extramural experts from several disciplines. The workshop assessed the current state of clinical research addressing ALI, identified research needs, and recommended: (1) continued performance of trials evaluating treatments of patients with ALI; (2) development of strategies to perform ALI prevention trials; (3) observational studies of patients without ALI undergoing prolonged mechanical ventilation; and (4) development of a standardized format for reporting methods, endpoints, and results of ALI trials.