Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 25, 2025

Objective Nociceptive Assessment in Ventilated ICU Patients: A Feasibility Study Using Pupillometry and the Nociceptive Flexion Reflex
Published on: July 4, 2018
Family Perceptions of Palliative Care and Communication in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit
Kristina Paré1, Joanna Grudziak2, Kyle Lavin3
1Gillings School of Public Health, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Abstract:
Few data exist on palliative care for trauma and acute care surgery patients. This pilot study evaluated family perceptions and experiences around palliative care in a surgical intensive care unit (SICU) via mixed methods interviews conducted from February 1, 2020, to March 5, 2020, with 5 families of patients in the SICU. Families emphasized the importance of clear, honest communication, and inclusiveness in decision-making. Many interviewees were unable to recall whether goals-of-care discussions had occurred, and most lacked understanding of the patients' illnesses. This study highlights the significance of frequent communication and goals-of-care discussions in the SICU.
Related Concept Videos
Continuing Care
Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...
Role of Communication in the Nursing Process II: Planning and Implementation
Patient-centered Care
Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...
