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Magee PM, October TW. Culturally Centered Palliative Care: A Framework for Equitable Neurocritical Care. Neurocrit Care 2024:10.1007/s12028-024-02041-y. [PMID: 38955929 DOI: 10.1007/s12028-024-02041-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Health disparities continue to plague racial and ethnic underserved patients in the United States. Disparities extend to the most critically ill patients, including those experiencing neurologic injury and patients at the end of life. Achieving health equity in palliative care in the neurointensive care unit requires clinicians to acknowledge and address structural racism and the social determinants of health. This article highlights racial and ethnic disparities in neurocritical care and palliative care and offers recommendations for an anti-racist approach to palliative care in the neurointensive care unit for clinicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula M Magee
- Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd, 9 Main Suite 9NW45, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Tessie W October
- Division of Critical Care Medicine, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
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Ashana DC, Welsh W, Preiss D, Sperling J, You H, Tu K, Carson SS, Hough C, White DB, Kerlin M, Docherty S, Johnson KS, Cox CE. Racial Differences in Shared Decision-Making About Critical Illness. JAMA Intern Med 2024; 184:424-432. [PMID: 38407845 PMCID: PMC10897823 DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.8433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Importance Shared decision-making is the preferred method for evaluating complex tradeoffs in the care of patients with critical illness. However, it remains unknown whether critical care clinicians engage diverse patients and caregivers equitably in shared decision-making. Objective To compare critical care clinicians' approaches to shared decision-making in recorded conversations with Black and White caregivers of patients with critical illness. Design, Setting, and Participants This thematic analysis consisted of unstructured clinician-caregiver meetings audio-recorded during a randomized clinical trial of a decision aid about prolonged mechanical ventilation at 13 intensive care units in the US. Participants in meetings included critical care clinicians and Black or White caregivers of patients who underwent mechanical ventilation. The codebook included components of shared decision-making and known mechanisms of racial disparities in clinical communication. Analysts were blinded to caregiver race during coding. Patterns within and across racial groups were evaluated to identify themes. Data analysis was conducted between August 2021 and April 2023. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcomes were themes describing clinician behaviors varying by self-reported race of the caregivers. Results The overall sample comprised 20 Black and 19 White caregivers for a total of 39 audio-recorded meetings with clinicians. The duration of meetings was similar for both Black and White caregivers (mean [SD], 23.9 [13.7] minutes vs 22.1 [11.2] minutes, respectively). Both Black and White caregivers were generally middle-aged (mean [SD] age, 47.6 [9.9] years vs 51.9 [8.8] years, respectively), female (15 [75.0%] vs 14 [73.7%], respectively), and possessed a high level of self-assessed health literacy, which was scored from 3 to 15 with lower scores indicating increasing health literacy (mean [SD], 5.8 [2.3] vs 5.3 [2.0], respectively). Clinicians conducting meetings with Black and White caregivers were generally young (mean [SD] age, 38.8 [6.6] years vs 37.9 [8.2] years, respectively), male (13 [72.2%] vs 12 [70.6%], respectively), and White (14 [77.8%] vs 17 [100%], respectively). Four variations in clinicians' shared decision-making behaviors by caregiver race were identified: (1) providing limited emotional support for Black caregivers, (2) failing to acknowledge trust and gratitude expressed by Black caregivers, (3) sharing limited medical information with Black caregivers, and (4) challenging Black caregivers' preferences for restorative care. These themes encompass both relational and informational aspects of shared decision-making. Conclusions and Relevance The results of this thematic analysis showed that critical care clinicians missed opportunities to acknowledge emotions and value the knowledge of Black caregivers compared with White caregivers. These findings may inform future clinician-level interventions aimed at promoting equitable shared decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepshikha C. Ashana
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Whitney Welsh
- Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Doreet Preiss
- Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Jessica Sperling
- Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - HyunBin You
- School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Karissa Tu
- School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| | | | - Catherine Hough
- Department of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland
| | - Douglas B. White
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Meeta Kerlin
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | | | - Kimberly S. Johnson
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Durham Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Durham, North Carolina
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Cox CE, Ashana DC, Riley IL, Olsen MK, Casarett D, Haines KL, O’Keefe YA, Al-Hegelan M, Harrison RW, Naglee C, Katz JN, Yang H, Pratt EH, Gu J, Dempsey K, Docherty SL, Johnson KS. Mobile Application-Based Communication Facilitation Platform for Family Members of Critically Ill Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2349666. [PMID: 38175648 PMCID: PMC10767607 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.49666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Unmet and racially disparate palliative care needs are common in intensive care unit (ICU) settings. Objective To test the effect of a primary palliative care intervention vs usual care control both overall and by family member race. Design, Setting, and Participants This cluster randomized clinical trial was conducted at 6 adult medical and surgical ICUs in 2 academic and community hospitals in North Carolina between April 2019 and May 2022 with physician-level randomization and sequential clusters of 2 Black patient-family member dyads and 2 White patient-family member dyads enrolled under each physician. Eligible participants included consecutive patients receiving mechanical ventilation, their family members, and their attending ICU physicians. Data analysis was conducted from June 2022 to May 2023. Intervention A mobile application (ICUconnect) that displayed family-reported needs over time and provided ICU attending physicians with automated timeline-driven communication advice on how to address individual needs. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was change in the family-reported Needs at the End-of-Life Screening Tool (NEST; range 0-130, with higher scores reflecting greater need) score between study days 1 and 3. Secondary outcomes included family-reported quality of communication and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder at 3 months. Results A total of 111 (51% of those approached) family members (mean [SD] age, 51 [15] years; 96 women [86%]; 15 men [14%]; 47 Black family members [42%]; 64 White family members [58%]) and 111 patients (mean [SD] age, 55 [16] years; 66 male patients [59%]; 45 Black patients [41%]; 65 White patients [59%]; 1 American Indian or Alaska Native patient [1%]) were enrolled under 37 physicians randomized to intervention (19 physicians and 55 patient-family member dyads) or control (18 physicians and 56 patient-family member dyads). Compared with control, there was greater improvement in NEST scores among intervention recipients between baseline and both day 3 (estimated mean difference, -6.6 points; 95% CI, -11.9 to -1.3 points; P = .01) and day 7 (estimated mean difference, -5.4 points; 95% CI, -10.7 to 0.0 points; P = .05). There were no treatment group differences at 3 months in psychological distress symptoms. White family members experienced a greater reduction in NEST scores compared with Black family members at day 3 (estimated mean difference, -12.5 points; 95% CI, -18.9 to -6.1 points; P < .001 vs estimated mean difference, -0.3 points; 95% CI, -9.3 to 8.8 points; P = .96) and day 7 (estimated mean difference, -9.5 points; 95% CI, -16.1 to -3.0 points; P = .005 vs estimated mean difference, -1.4 points; 95% CI, -10.7 to 7.8; P = .76). Conclusions and Relevance In this study of ICU patients and family members, a primary palliative care intervention using a mobile application reduced unmet palliative care needs compared with usual care without an effect on psychological distress symptoms at 3 months; there was a greater intervention effect among White family members compared with Black family members. These findings suggest that a mobile application-based intervention is a promising primary palliative care intervention for ICU clinicians that directly addresses the limited supply of palliative care specialists. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03506438.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher E. Cox
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Program to Support People and Enhance Recovery (ProSPER), Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Deepshikha C. Ashana
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Program to Support People and Enhance Recovery (ProSPER), Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Isaretta L. Riley
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Maren K. Olsen
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Durham Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, North Carolina
| | - David Casarett
- Department of Medicine, Section of Palliative Care and Hospice Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Krista L. Haines
- Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | | | - Mashael Al-Hegelan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Robert W. Harrison
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Colleen Naglee
- Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Jason N. Katz
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Hongqiu Yang
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Elias H. Pratt
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Program to Support People and Enhance Recovery (ProSPER), Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Jessie Gu
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Program to Support People and Enhance Recovery (ProSPER), Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Katelyn Dempsey
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Program to Support People and Enhance Recovery (ProSPER), Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | | | - Kimberly S. Johnson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Geriatrics Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, North Carolina
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