• Cristina Gutierrez, William Hsu, Qin Ouyang, Haijun Yao, Simcha Pollack, and Cynthia X Pan.
• J Palliat Care. 2014 Jan 1; 30 (3): 151-7.

BackgroundThe literature describing the attitude of Asians toward palliative care in the intensive care unit (ICU) is scarce.AimThe purpose of this study was to compare outcomes of Asians and people of other ethnicities after palliative care intervention in the ICU.MethodsA retrospective chart review was conducted of all ICU patients evaluated by palliative care; the outcomes measured were incidence of life-sustaining treatments, institution of advance care directives, and preferences for end-of-life care.ResultsThe palliative care team evaluated 119 patients (46.2 percent Caucasian, 27.2 percent Asian, and 26.1 percent other ethnicities). There were no differences in demographics or clinical variables. Thirty-six percent of the Asians, 49 percent of the Caucasians, and 28.6 percent of the patients of other ethnicities (p = 0.19) had healthcare proxies. The palliative care team increased advance care directives by more than 40 percent in all groups (p < 0.001). There were no differences in the use of life-sustaining treatments or preferences for comfort measures among ethnic groups.ConclusionAsians are as likely as people of other ethnicities to decide on advance care directives, life-sustaining treatments, and comfort measures after palliative care evaluation in the ICU.

14 keywords...

hide…