Family engagement regarding the critically ill patient

Conducting family meetings on families with dementia: An integrative review

AIM

To explore the role of family meetings for individuals living with dementia and their family caregivers.

DESIGN

Integrative review.

METHODS

We conducted searches in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase databases (up to December 2022). Additionally, an ancestry search strategy was employed to supplement the retrieval of published literature related to family meetings or family conferences for people with dementia and their family caregivers.

RESULTS

The review integrated 11 articles, comprising seven quantitative studies, two qualitative studies, and two case reports. The findings did not indicate a significant improvement in end-of-life quality for individuals with dementia in the family meetings group compared to those receiving usual care. Limited evidence suggested some improvement in mental health outcomes for family caregivers. Both intervention and control groups incurred high care costs. However, family meetings appeared to delay nursing home placements for individuals with dementia. Two qualitative studies provided insights into the experiences of families and healthcare professionals participating in family meetings, highlighting opportunities and challenges in implementing such meetings. Additionally, two case reports offered specific and illustrative accounts of typical family meetings.

CONCLUSION

Family meetings can delay nursing home placements for elderly individuals with dementia. Families dealing with dementia perceive family meetings as an opportunity to collaborate with professionals in providing comprehensive care. Further research is needed to explore the effectiveness of family meetings in decision-making for families affected by dementia. Additionally, addressing timing and process coordination issues in family meetings is crucial for optimising their practices among families dealing with dementia.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

In order to make family meetings more accessible to families of individuals with dementia, we offer the following recommendations for future research and practice: Rather than a blanket rejection, the decision regarding the participation of individuals with dementia in family meetings should be based on their specific condition and the needs of their family. Coordination and harmonisation of opinions and perceptions among family members of individuals with dementia can sometimes be complex for healthcare professionals. The involvement of family coordinators may simplify this process. To determine the optimal timing for holding family meetings that can better assist families dealing with dementia, we propose that the right to initiate a meeting be granted to the family. This allows them to convene with healthcare professionals and address their concerns at their convenience.

Improving Family Intensive Care Unit Experiences at the End of Life: Barriers and Facilitators

Experiencing the end of life of a family member in the intensive care unit is clearly difficult. An important role of critical care nurses is to help family members through this challenging period. This article highlights a few clinically significant barriers and facilitators related to improving family experiences at the patient's end of life that have received less attention in the literature thus far. Facilitators include specific aspects of communication, the nurse's role as the coordinator of care, bereavement care, promoting a "good death," and caring for health care providers. Barriers include medical uncertainty and differences in values and culture.

The decision-making process in families of terminal ICU patients

Abstract The objective of this research is to investigate family members’ perceptions as to the end-of-life decision-making process in an ICU. The authors conducted a qualitative descriptive study in which they interviewed six family members of critically ill patients admitted to the ICU of a private hospital. Five categories of analysis emerged from the examination of the material. This study will discuss two of those categories: the decision-making process and the relationship with the medical staff. The results indicate that family members were satisfied with communication with the medical staff, an important aspect for the decision-making process. Within this context, the shared model, prioritization of palliative care and identification of futile treatments prevailed, aimed at ensuring the patient’s comfort and dignity at the end of life. The results also reveal the need for integration of palliative care in ICUs, particularly in end-of-life situations.

Family Presence in the Adult ICU During Bedside Procedures

PURPOSE

To understand perspectives of family members of adult patients admitted to the medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) regarding their presence during procedures.

METHODS

Respondents completed a questionnaire about procedures the patient had undergone, their desire to be present, and their experience. Procedures of interest were endotracheal intubation; chest compressions; vascular catheter insertion; and gastric, chest, and rectal tubes. Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) was completed at the time of questionnaire completion and again 1 month later to evaluate the psychological impact of witnessing a procedure.

RESULTS

Ninety-seven respondents completed the questionnaire on behalf of 72 patients. More than 90% patients had at least 1 procedure. Only 29 (30%) family members were present for at least 1 procedure, and 44% to 100% wished to be present. Of the 68 respondents not present for a procedure, 18 (26.5%) wanted to be present. The IES-R was completed by 52 (95%) of 55 respondents who witnessed any procedure at time 1 and 28 (51%) of 55 respondents at time 2; mean IES-R scores were 8.0 and 8.8 ( P = .68), respectively. Only 2 participants had IES-R >33, signifying the likely presence of posttraumatic stress disorder.

CONCLUSION

Family members wish to be present for ICU procedures, and there are no adverse psychological effects.

End-of-life decisions in intensive care medicine-shared decision-making and intensive care unit length of stay

BACKGROUND

Most deaths on the intensive care unit (ICU) occur after end-of-life decisions (EOLD) have been made. During the decision-making process, responsibility is often shared within the caregiver team and with the patients' surrogates. The intensive care unit length of stay (ICU-LOS) of surgical ICU-patients depends on the primary illness as well as on the past medical history. Whether an increasing ICU-LOS affects the process of EOLD making is unknown.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on all deceased patients (n = 303) in a 22-bed surgical ICU of a German university medical center. Patient characteristics were compared between surgical patients with an ICU-LOS up to 1 week and those with an ICU-LOS of more than 7 days.

RESULTS

Deceased patients with a long ICU-LOS received more often an EOLD (83.2% vs. 63.6%, p = 0.001). Groups did not differ in urgency of admission. Attending intensivists participated in every EOLD. Participation of surgeons was significantly higher in patients with a short ICU-LOS (24.1%, p = 0.003), whereas nurses and the patients' surrogates were involved more frequently in patients with a long ICU-LOS (18.8%, p = 0.021 and 18.9%, p = 0.018, respectively).

CONCLUSION

EOLDs of surgical ICU-patients are associated with the ICU-LOS. Reversal of the primary illness leads the early ICU course, while in prolonged ICU-LOS, the patients' predicted will and the expected post-ICU-quality of life gain interest. Nurses and the patients' surrogates participate more frequently in EOLDs with prolonged ICU-LOS. To improve EOLD making on surgical ICUs, the ICU-LOS associated participation of the different decision makers needs further prospective analysis.

Quadrimodal distribution of death after trauma suggests that critical injury is a potentially terminal disease

BACKGROUND

Patterns of death after trauma are changing due to advances in critical care. We examined mortality in critically injured patients who survived index hospitalization.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of adults admitted to a Level-1 trauma center (1/1/2000-12/31/2010) with critical injury was conducted comparing patient characteristics, injury, and resource utilization between those who died during follow-up and survivors.

RESULTS

Of 1,695 critically injured patients, 1,135 (67.0%) were discharged alive. As of 5/1/2012, 977/1,135 (86.0%) remained alive; 75/158 (47.5%) patients who died during follow-up, died in the first year. Patients who died had longer hospital stays (24 vs. 17 days) and ICU LOS (17 vs. 8 days), were more likely to undergo tracheostomies (36% vs. 16%) and gastrostomies (39% vs. 16%) and to be discharged to rehabilitation (76% vs. 63%) or skilled nursing (13% vs. 5.8%) facilities than survivors. In multivariable models, male sex, older age, and longer ICU LOS predicted mortality. Patients with ICU LOS >16 days had 1.66 odds of 1-year mortality vs. those with shorter ICU stays.

CONCLUSIONS

ICU LOS during index hospitalization is associated with post-discharge mortality. Patients with prolonged ICU stays after surviving critical injury may benefit from detailed discussions about goals of care after discharge.