Admission into the intensive care unit (ICU) can result in many pressures for ICU teams who support them. However, the needs of patients and families can be overwhelming for ICU and palliative care teams. A recent review from researchers at Yale investigated the symptoms of patients in the ICU, the palliative care resources available to address them, and strategies for incorporating palliative medicine principles into the ICU to improve patient- and family-centered care.
The authors identify the most commonly worrisome symptoms affecting ICU patients as the inability to communicate, pain, difficulty breathing, and thirst. They also highlight distressing experiences for families and caregivers of patients in the ICU, particularly depression and complicated grief. They recommend the continued incorporation of humanistic palliative care principles, considering perspectives from a more diverse representation of countries and cultures, particularly more resource-limited settings.
To learn more, read the review: “Easing Suffering for ICU Patients and Their Families: Evidence and Opportunities for Primary and Specialty Palliative Care in the ICU.”
Doherty, C., Feder, S., Gillespie-Heyman, S., & Akgün, K. M. (2023). Easing Suffering for ICU Patients and Their Families: Evidence and Opportunities for Primary and Specialty Palliative Care in the ICU. Journal of Intensive Care Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1177/08850666231204305