American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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An Intensive Care Unit Team Reflects on End-of-Life Experiences With Patients and Families in Chile.
Deaths in the intensive care unit (ICU) represent an experience of suffering for patients, their families, and professionals. End-of-life (EOL) care has been added to the responsibilities of the ICU team, but the evidence supporting EOL care is scarce, and there are many barriers to implementing the clinical recommendations that do exist. ⋯ These qualitative findings expose gaps in care that must be filled to achieve high-quality EOL care in the ICU. Significant emotional impact, barriers related to EOL decision-making, limited interprofessional clinical practice, and communication difficulties were the main findings cross-referenced.
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The Barthel Index, originally developed and validated to assess activities of daily living in patients with neuromuscular disorders, is commonly used in research and clinical practice involving critically ill patients. ⋯ The Barthel Index is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing physical functioning at intensive care unit discharge.