Palliative Care Communication in the ICU: Implications for an Oncology-Critical Care Nursing Partnership

To describe the development, launch, implementation, and outcomes of a unique multisite collaborative (ie, IMPACT-ICU [Integrating Multidisciplinary Palliative Care into the ICU]) to teach ICU nurses communication skills specific to palliative care. To identify options for collaboration between oncology and critical care nurses when integrating palliation into nursing care planning.

Published literature and collective experiences of the authors in the provision of onco-critical-palliative care.

While critical care nurses were the initial focus of education, oncology, telemetry, step-down, and medical-surgical nurses within five university medical centers subsequently participated in this learning collaborative. Participants reported enhanced confidence in communicating with patients, families, and physicians, offering emotional support and involvement in family meetings.

Communication education is a vital yet missing element of undergraduate nursing education. Programs should be offered in the work setting to address this gap in needed nurse competency, particularly within the context of onco-critical-palliative care.