Daren K Heyland1, Peter Dodek2, Sangeeta Mehta3, Deborah Cook4, Allan Garland5, Henry T Stelfox6, Sean M Bagshaw7, Demetrios J Kutsogiannis7, Karen Burns8, John Muscedere9, Alexis F Turgeon10, Rob Fowler11, Xuran Jiang12, Andrew G Day12. 1. Clinical Evaluation Research Unit, Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, ON, Canada dkh2@queensu.ca. 2. Division of Critical Care Medicine and Center for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, St. Paul's Hospital and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. 3. Mount Sinai Hospital, Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. 4. Department of Medicine and Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. 5. Department of Medicine and Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. 6. Department of Critical Care Medicine, Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services-Calgary Zone, Calgary, AB, Canada. 7. Division of Critical Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. 8. Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada. 9. Critical Care Program, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada. 10. Division of Critical Care Medicine and Population Health and Optimal Health Practices Research Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Québec and Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada. 11. Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto and Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada. 12. Clinical Evaluation Research Unit, Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Little is known about the perspectives and experiences of family members of very elderly patients who are admitted to the intensive care unit. AIM: To describe family members' perspectives about care provided to very elderly critically ill patients. DESIGN: Multicenter, prospective, cohort study. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: In total, 535 family members of patients aged 80 years or older admitted to 22 intensive care units for more than 24 h. RESULTS: Family members reported that the "patient be comfortable and suffer as little as possible" was their most important value and "the belief that life should be preserved at all costs" was their least important value considered in making treatment decisions. Most family members (57.9%) preferred that life support be used for their family member, whereas 24.1% preferred comfort measures only, and 14.4% were unsure of their treatment preferences. Only 57.3% reported that a doctor had talked to them about treatment options for the patient. Overall, 29.7% of patients received life-sustaining treatments for more than 7 days and 50.3% of these died in hospital. Families were most satisfied with the skill and competency of nurses and least satisfied with being included and supported in the decision-making process and with their sense of control over the patient's care. CONCLUSION: There is incongruity between family values and preferences for end-of-life care and actual care received for very elderly patients who are admitted to the intensive care unit. Deficiencies in communication and decision-making may be associated with prolonged use of life-sustaining treatments in very elderly critically ill patients, many of whom ultimately die.
BACKGROUND: Little is known about the perspectives and experiences of family members of very elderly patients who are admitted to the intensive care unit. AIM: To describe family members' perspectives about care provided to very elderly critically ill patients. DESIGN: Multicenter, prospective, cohort study. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: In total, 535 family members of patients aged 80 years or older admitted to 22 intensive care units for more than 24 h. RESULTS: Family members reported that the "patient be comfortable and suffer as little as possible" was their most important value and "the belief that life should be preserved at all costs" was their least important value considered in making treatment decisions. Most family members (57.9%) preferred that life support be used for their family member, whereas 24.1% preferred comfort measures only, and 14.4% were unsure of their treatment preferences. Only 57.3% reported that a doctor had talked to them about treatment options for the patient. Overall, 29.7% of patients received life-sustaining treatments for more than 7 days and 50.3% of these died in hospital. Families were most satisfied with the skill and competency of nurses and least satisfied with being included and supported in the decision-making process and with their sense of control over the patient's care. CONCLUSION: There is incongruity between family values and preferences for end-of-life care and actual care received for very elderly patients who are admitted to the intensive care unit. Deficiencies in communication and decision-making may be associated with prolonged use of life-sustaining treatments in very elderly critically ill patients, many of whom ultimately die.
Authors: Christopher E Cox; Derek M Jones; Wen Reagan; Mary D Key; Vinca Chow; Jessica McFarlin; David Casarett; Claire J Creutzfeldt; Sharron L Docherty Journal: Ann Am Thorac Soc Date: 2018-01
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Authors: Christopher E Cox; Maren K Olsen; David Casarett; Krista Haines; Mashael Al-Hegelan; Raquel R Bartz; Jason N Katz; Colleen Naglee; Deepshikha Ashana; Daniel Gilstrap; Jessie Gu; Alice Parish; Allie Frear; Deepthi Krishnamaneni; Andrew Corcoran; Sharron L Docherty Journal: Contemp Clin Trials Date: 2020-09-29 Impact factor: 2.226
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