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Glajchen M, Goehring A, Johns H, Portenoy RK. Family Meetings in Palliative Care: Benefits and Barriers. Curr Treat Options Oncol 2022; 23:658-667. [PMID: 35316479 PMCID: PMC8938578 DOI: 10.1007/s11864-022-00957-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
OPINION STATEMENT Specialists in palliative care view the family meeting as a means to engage patients and their families in a serious illness discussion that may clarify the values of patients and caregivers, provide information, determine care preferences, and identify sources of illness-related distress and burden. The family meeting is considered the best practice for achieving patient- and family-centered care in palliative care. Although studies of the family meeting are limited, those extant suggest that these interventions may reduce caregiver distress, mitigate the perception of unmet needs, prepare family members for caregiving, and improve bereavement outcomes. The experience of palliative care specialists further suggests that the family meeting may reinforce the therapeutic alliance with families, promote consensus, and reduce the need for ad hoc meetings. Physician satisfaction may be enhanced when the treatment plan includes the opportunity to show empathy and see the family's perspective-core elements of the clinical approach to the family meeting. In the oncology setting, the potential to achieve these positive outcomes supports the integration of the family meeting into practice. Clinical skills for the planning and running of family meetings should be promoted with consideration of a standardized protocol for routine family meetings at critical points during the illness and its treatment using an interdisciplinary team. Further research is needed to refine understanding of the indications for the family meeting and determine the optimal timing, structure, and staffing models. Outcome studies employing validated measures are needed to better characterize the impact of family meetings on patient and family distress and on treatment outcomes. Although better evidence is needed to guide the future integration of the family meeting into oncology practice, current best practices can be recommended based on available data and the extensive observations of palliative care specialists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myra Glajchen
- MJHS Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care, 39 Broadway, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10006 USA
- Department of Family and Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY USA
| | | | - Hannah Johns
- MJHS Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care, 39 Broadway, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10006 USA
| | - Russell K. Portenoy
- MJHS Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care, 39 Broadway, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10006 USA
- Department of Family and Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY USA
- MJHS Hospice and Palliative Care, New York, NY USA
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Ko PY, Lien HY, Huang CM, Tsai CY, Chen CC, Woung LC, Ko MC, Huang SJ. Palliative Family Conference Reduces the Risk of Death in Intensive Care Units and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation at End of Life. J Palliat Med 2022; 25:1050-1056. [PMID: 35349365 DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2021.0546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Palliative family conference (PFC) was included in the reimbursement of National Health Insurance to promote palliative care in Taiwan in 2012. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of PFC on death in intensive care unit (ICU) and receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) within three days before death. Design: This is a cross-sectional study. Subjects: All patients who died in a public hospital and were admitted to ICU within 30 days before death, from 2013 to 2018, were included. Measurements: The medical records were analyzed to identify information on causes of death, receiving PFC, receiving palliative care consultation, death in ICU, and receiving CPR within three days before death. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the independent effects of receiving PFC on the risk of death in ICU and receiving CPR within three days before death. Results: For patients who died and those who did not die in ICU, the proportion of receiving PFC was 45.8% (1818/3973) and 55.0% (808/1468), respectively. For patients who received and those who did not receive CPR within three days before death, the proportion of receiving PFC was 23.9% (140/585) and 51.2% (2486/4856), respectively. PFC was associated with a reduced risk of death in ICU (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.842; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.717-0.988) and a reduced risk of receiving CPR within three days before death (AOR: 0.361; 95% CI: 0.286-0.456). Conclusion: PFC reduces the risk of receiving nonbeneficial aggressive intervention and may improve the quality of end-of-life care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Yun Ko
- School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan.,Teaching and Research Department, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Yi Lien
- Taipei City Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan.,Department of Health Care Management, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | | | - Ching-Yao Tsai
- Taipei City Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan.,School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Chu-Chieh Chen
- Department of Health Care Management, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Lin-Chung Woung
- Taipei City Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan.,Department of Health Care Management, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei City, Taiwan.,Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Chung Ko
- Taipei City Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan.,Department of Health Care Management, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Jean Huang
- Taipei City Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan.,Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan
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Lo ML, Huang CC, Hu TH, Chou WC, Chuang LP, Chiang MC, Wen FH, Tang ST. Quality Assessments of End-of-Life Care by Medical Record Review for Patients Dying in Intensive Care Units in Taiwan. J Pain Symptom Manage 2020; 60:1092-1099.e1. [PMID: 32650138 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2020.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT/OBJECTIVE Essential indicators of high-quality end-of-life care in intensive care units (ICUs) have been established but examined inconsistently and predominantly with small samples, mostly from Western countries. Our study goal was to comprehensively measure end-of-life-care quality delivered in ICUs using chart-derived process-based quality measures for a large cohort of critically ill Taiwanese patients. METHODS For this observational study, patients with APACHE II score ≥20 or goal of palliative care and with ICU stay exceeding three days (N = 326) were consecutively recruited and followed until death. RESULTS Documentation of process-based indicators for Taiwanese patients dying in ICUs was variable (8.9%-96.3%), but high for physician communication of the patient's poor prognosis to his/her family members (93.0%), providing specialty palliative-care consultations (73.3%), a do-not-resuscitate order in place at death (96.3%), death without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (93.5%), and family presence at patient death (76.1%). Documentation was infrequent for social-worker involvement (8.9%) and interdisciplinary family meetings to discuss goals of care (22.4%). Patients predominantly (79.8%) continued life-sustaining treatments (LSTs) until death and died with full life support, with 88.3% and 58.9% of patients dying with mechanical ventilation support and vasopressors, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Taiwanese patients dying in ICUs heavily used LSTs until death despite high prevalences of documented prognostic communication, providing specialty palliative-care consultations, having a do-not-resuscitate order in place, and death without cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Family meetings should be actively promoted to facilitate appropriate end-of-life-care decisions to avoid unnecessary suffering from potentially inappropriate LSTs during the last days of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei-Ling Lo
- Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, R.O.C; School of Nursing, Medical College, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Chung-Chi Huang
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, R.O.C; Department of Respiratory Therapy, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Tsung-Hui Hu
- Division of Hepato-Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Wen-Chi Chou
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, R.O.C; College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Li-Pang Chuang
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Ming Chu Chiang
- Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Fur-Hsing Wen
- Department of International Business, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Siew Tzuh Tang
- School of Nursing, Medical College, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, R.O.C; Division of Hematology-Oncology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, R.O.C; Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C.
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