• V López Camps, M A García García, M C Martín Delgado, J M Añón Elizalde, N Masnou Burrallo, O Rubio Sanchiz, A Estella García, J L Monzón Marín, and el Grupo de Trabajo de Bioética de la Sociedad Española de Medicina Intensiva Crítica y Unidades Coronarias.
• UCI, Hospital de Sagunto, Sagunto, Valencia, España.
• Med Intensiva. 2017 Dec 1; 41 (9): 523-531.

IntroductionMultiple interventions are performed in critical patients admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs). This study explores the presence in the daily practice of ICUs of elements related to the 6 bioethics quality indicators of the Spanish Society of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine and Coronary Units, and the participation of their members in the hospital ethics committees.Materials And MethodsA multicenter observational study was carried out, using a survey exploring descriptive aspects of the ICUs, with 25 questions related to bioethics quality indicators, and assessing the participation of ICU members in the hospital ethics committees. The ICUs were classified by size (larger or smaller than 10 beds) and type of hospital (public/private-public concerted center, with/without teaching).ResultsThe 68 analyzed surveys revealed: daily informing of the family (97%), carried out in the information room (82%); end-of-life care protocols (44%); life support limitation form (48.43%); and physical containment protocol (40%). Compliance with the informed consent process referred to different procedures is: tracheostomy (92%), vascular procedures (76%), and extrarenal clearance (25%). The presence of ICU members in the hospital ethics committee is currently frequent (69%).ConclusionsInformation supplied to relatives is adequate, although there are ICUs without an information room. Compliance with the informed consent requirements of various procedures is insufficient. The participation of ICU members in the hospital ethics committees is frequent. The results obtained suggest a chance for improvement in the bioethical quality of the ICU.Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

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