• Shahla Siddiqui, Enas Mohamed, Anna Johansson, Laura Rock, Christiane Hartog, and Balachundhar Subramaniam.
• From the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine.
• Anesth. Analg. 2023 Jul 1; 137 (1): 162168162-168.

BackgroundPatient-centered care is increasing in importance especially in the post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic era. We sought to understand factors affecting compassionate care faced by intensivists in the intensive care unit (ICU).MethodsUsing survey methodology incorporating 3 real-life case vignettes, responses were elicited to difficult ethical and moral dilemmas in the ICU setting. Members of 2 critical care societies in the United States and Europe were included in the survey.ResultsResponses from 323 intensivists (32% out of 1000 members who opened the initial email invitation) around the world were analyzed thematically. Conflicts between patient choices and suggested medical care, institutional/work constraints restricting compassionate care and leading to burnout, and personal variables influencing compassionate care were the themes that emerged from our investigation. The results demonstrate that intensivists have compassion for their patients and want to provide patient-centered care, but also experience stress due to their limited ability to improve their patients' conditions.ConclusionsCompassionate attitudes can be hindered by an underlying worry about the decision made by the patient and their family, a lack of confidence in making hard moral decisions, and the burdens of burnout.Copyright © 2022 International Anesthesia Research Society.

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