Changes in End-of-Life Practices in European Intensive Care Units From 1999 to 2016
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.End-of-life care in European intensive care units (ICUs) has shifted, with significantly more patients experiencing limitations in life-prolonging therapies and fewer dying without such interventions over 16 years.
Area Of Science
- Intensive Care Medicine
- Bioethics
- Clinical Practice
Background
- End-of-life decisions are common in intensive care units (ICUs) globally.
- Practices surrounding end-of-life care may evolve over time.
Purpose Of The Study
- To investigate changes in end-of-life practices within European ICUs over a 16-year period.
- To compare end-of-life outcomes between two distinct cohorts.
Main Methods
- Prospective observational study (Ethicus-2) involving 22 European ICUs.
- Comparison of data from 2015-2016 with a previous cohort from 1999-2000.
- Classification of end-of-life outcomes including withholding/withdrawing therapy, active shortening of dying, failed CPR, and brain death.
Main Results
- The 2015-2016 cohort (n=1785) was older than the 1999-2000 cohort (n=2807).
- Treatment limitations increased significantly (89.7% vs 68.3%), with more withholding and withdrawing of life-prolonging therapy.
- Fewer cases of failed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), brain death, and active shortening of the dying process were observed.
Conclusions
- A significant shift towards increased limitations in life-prolonging therapies in European ICUs was observed between 1999-2000 and 2015-2016.
- Fewer deaths occurred without any limitations on life-prolonging therapies.
- The study acknowledges limitations, excluding patients who survived ICU hospitalization without treatment limitations.
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
Related Concept Videos
Nurses are essential in patient care, upholding the ethical principles of their profession and effectively navigating ethical dilemmas. Neglecting ethical issues can lead to inadequate patient care, compromised therapeutic relationships, and moral distress among healthcare workers.
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
• Paternalism: Nurses often encounter situations where they must act without patient consent to safeguard their well-being or prevent harm. A common example occurs in cases of...
Current trends in nursing include:
The changes that have shaped the profession.
Guided legislation.
The functioning of the present healthcare system.
With an increase in the aging population worldwide, it is crucial to train nurses from all healthcare settings to identify approaches that enable older adults to live independently. Nurses also provide essential care and education to manage multiple chronic conditions and ensure the elderly in long-term care receive optimal care and...
Trends in nursing are multifactorial and associated with changes in society, within the nursing profession, and in other professions. Notably, telehealth and remote nursing contribute to successful healthcare delivery for numerous patients and help reduce stress for nurses due to nursing shortages. Nurses can reach patients, monitor their conditions, and interact with them using computers, audio, visual accessories, and telephones—for example, remote patient monitoring systems. Likewise,...
Resolving an ethical dilemma in healthcare involves a systematic approach that considers every aspect of the issue, respecting both the patient's needs and values and the healthcare professional's ethical obligations. Here are potential steps to resolve an ethical dilemma:
Identify the ethical problem and dilemma: Begin by recognizing the presence of an ethical issue. An ethical dilemma arises when conflicting moral principles or values necessitate choosing between two or more equally...
Endotracheal or ET intubation is a critical medical procedure used to secure a patient's airway, often in acute respiratory distress, apnea, upper airway obstruction, ineffective clearance of secretions, high risk for aspiration, or during general anesthesia.
The ET tube comprises various components, including a standard adaptor to attach a bag-valve-mask (BVM) or ventilator, a cuff, a pilot balloon, and radiopaque markings along its length to measure the insertion distance. The tube sizes...
The issues and trends in healthcare delivery are constantly changing. The COVID-19 pandemic is one recent issue that wreaked havoc on healthcare systems, causing a shortage of healthcare workers, high demand for medicines and supplies, and increased medical expenditure due to a lack of insurance. Other issues include rising healthcare costs and care fragmentation.
Cost Containment
Payment for healthcare services has historically promoted adoption of costly and often unnecessary or inefficient...