Journal of palliative medicine
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Specialist palliative care consultations, together with integration of palliative care principles into the care of all ICU patients, can improve the patient/family experience, reduce length of stay, improve ICU throughput without increasing mortality, and lower health care costs.
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A variety of moral frameworks can assist clinicians in making ethical decisions. In examining articles on palliative sedation and terminal extubation, we were struck that bioethical discussions uniformly appealed to principlism and especially to the rule of double effect. ⋯ We then offer brief examples of how clinicians might use other moral frameworks to assess the ethics of preemptive sedation for terminal extubation. We argue for greater moral pluralism in approaching end-of-life decisions.
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Practice Guideline Guideline
Guidelines for the psychosocial and bereavement support of family caregivers of palliative care patients.
Support for family caregivers, including bereavement follow-up, is a core function of palliative care. Many caregivers acknowledge positive aspects associated with the role; however a considerable proportion will experience poor psychological, social, financial, spiritual, and physical well-being and some will suffer from complicated grief. Many family caregivers have unmet needs and would like more information, preparation, and support to assist them in the caregiving role. There is a shortage of evidence-based strategies to guide health professionals in providing optimal support while the caregiver is providing care and after the patient's death. ⋯ The guidelines may prove valuable for the international palliative care community and for generalist health care providers who occasionally care for palliative care patients. Research is recommended to explore the uptake, implementation, and effectiveness of the guidelines.