Improving hospital-based end of life care processes and outcomes: a systematic review of research output, quality and effectiveness

Family and carer experiences of advanced care planning processes and outcomes

OBJECTIVES

Despite practice development in the area of advanced care planning (ACP) and systems wide changes implemented to support ACP processes, there has been a paucity of research which has addressed the experiences of a key stakeholder group - family and carers - as they navigate their way through these often very challenging processes. The study described in this article focussed on this key group.

METHODS

In-depth qualitative interviews were undertaken with family members and carers in a regional area of Australia in order to illuminate their lived experiences of ACP processes.

RESULTS

Thematic analysis of the narrative data yielded 4 key themes: Being overwhelmed on the ACP journey; unifying effects of completing and using an advanced care directive (ACD); experiencing the highlights and lowlights of care; and paying it forward in advice to staff, carers and families.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

The ACP journey is unique for each carer/family and can be overwhelming. Whilst he lived experiences of families/carers indicated that the quality of care received was of a high standard, feedback to staff suggested their communications be timelier and more empathic. All participants in this study reported benefitting from engaging in ACP early and appreciated support to do so. All benefitted from the preparation of an ACD and found the outcomes (in terms of concordance) gratifying.

Bundle of care to drive improvements in palliative and end-of-life care (PEOLC) in an acute tertiary hospital

OBJECTIVES

There is little evidence to suggest the best model of palliative and end-of-life care (PEOLC) in an acute care hospital. We introduced a bundle of care to drive improvements in PEOLC; this bundle included three full-time nursing positions providing a palliative care clinical consult service with physician backup, as well as educating staff, using the NSW Resuscitation Plan and the Last-Days-of-Life Toolkit.

METHODS

Two audits were performed at John Hunter Hospital, a tertiary hospital in Newcastle, Australia, each sampling from all deaths in a 12-month period, one prior to and one after the bundle of care was introduced. Sampling was stratified into deaths that occurred within 4-48 hours of admission and after 48 hours. Key outcomes/data points were recorded and compared across the two time periods.

RESULTS

Statistically significant improvements noted included: lower mortality on the wards after 48 hours of admission, better recognition of the dying patient, increased referral to palliative care nurses and physicians, reduction in the number of medical emergency team calls and increase in the use of comfort care and resuscitation plans. Currently, 73% of patients have their end-of-life wishes observed as per their advance care directive.

CONCLUSION

A bundle of care involving dedicated nurses with physician backup providing a consult service and education is an effective method for driving improvements in PEOLC.

HIV and an Ageing Population-What Are the Medical, Psychosocial, and Palliative Care Challenges in Healthcare Provisions

The continuing increase in patient numbers and improvement in healthcare provisions of HIV services in the UK, alongside the effectiveness of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), has resulted in increasing numbers of the ageing population among people living with HIV (PLWH). It is expected that geriatricians will need to deal with many older people living with HIV (OPLWH) as life expectancy increases. Therefore, geriatric syndromes in OPLWH will be similar to the normal population, such as falls, cognitive decline, frailty, dementia, hypertension, diabetes and polypharmacy. The increase in the long-term use of cART, diabetes, dyslipidaemia and hypertension may lead to high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The treatment of such conditions may lead to polypharmacy and may increase the risk of cART drug-drug interactions. In addition, the risk of developing infection and cancer is high. OPLWH may develop an early onset of low bone mineral density (BMD), osteoporosis and fractures. In this review, we have also provided potential psychosocial aspects of an ageing population with HIV, addressing issues such as depression, stigma, isolation and the need for comprehensive medical and psychosocial care through an interdisciplinary team in a hospital or community setting. OPLWH have a relatively high burden of physical, psychological, and spiritual needs and social difficulties, which require palliative care. The holistic type of palliative care that will improve physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing is discussed in this review.

Room to Improve: An Audit of In-Hospital End-of-Life Care for Oncology Patients in a Tertiary Cancer Centre in Ireland During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic compounded isolation for patients through social distancing measures and staff shortages. We were concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on the quality of care provided at end-of-life in 2021 in a national cancer centre, and instigated the first ever review of the care of the dying. Quality of care was assessed retrospectively using a validated instrument developed by the United Kingdom's National Quality Board. Sixty-six patient deaths occurred in our cancer centre in 2021. The 'risk of dying' was documented in 65.2% of records. Palliative care services were involved in 77%, and pastoral care in 10.6%. What was important to the patient was documented in 24.2%. The 'quality-of-death' score was satisfactory for most but poor in 21.2%. Our study prompted change, including appointment of an end-of-life coordinator, development of a checklist to ensure comprehensive communication, expansion of the end-of-life committee to include junior doctors, and regular audit.

End-of-life and immediate postdeath acute hospital interventions: scoping review

BACKGROUND

Hospital remains the most common place of death in the UK, but there are ongoing concerns about the quality of end-of-life care provision in this setting. Evaluation of interventions in the last days of life or after a bereavement is methodologically and ethically challenging.

AIM

The aim was to describe interventions at the very end of life and in the immediate bereavement period in acute hospitals, with a particular focus on how these are evaluated.

METHOD

A scoping review was conducted. Studies were restricted to peer-reviewed original research or literature reviews, published between 2011 and 2021, and written in the English language. Databases searched were CINAHL, Medline and Psychinfo.

RESULTS

From the search findings, 42 studies were reviewed, including quantitative (n=7), qualitative (n=14), mixed method (n=4) and literature reviews (n=17). Much of the current research about hospital-based bereavement care is derived from the intensive and critical care settings. Three themes were identified: (1) person-centred/family-centred care (memorialisation), (2) institutional approaches (quality of the environment, leadership, system-wide approaches and culture), (3) infrastructure and support systems (transdisciplinary working and staff support). There were limited studies on interventions to support staff.

CONCLUSION

Currently, there are few comprehensive tools for evaluating complex service interventions in a way that provides meaningful transferable data. Quantitative studies do not capture the complexity inherent in this form of care. Further qualitative studies would offer important insights into the interventions.

A study to determine if and how bereavement support programs provided by Irish and Canadian hospices are evaluated

A study of the bereavement programs provided by hospices in Ireland and the Canadian province of Alberta was done to determine if and how these are evaluated for efficacy. All but one hospice offered multiple different bereavement programs, with routine in-house evaluations of all programs performed. In all cases, staff and client unsolicited and solicited comments made during and at the end of each program provided data for continuing program refinement. Most hospices also routinely employed a self-devised questionnaire to gain specific sought information to retain or change programs. Other information, including news about program developments elsewhere, was also actively sought for program adoption or for the improvement of existing programs. With most bereavement programs having been in place for many years, participants were confident their programs are needed, safe, and effective. Their continuing quest for high-quality programming, however, meant they were active in monitoring these programs and in seeking developments in this field.

Evidence on the economic value of end-of-life and palliative care interventions: a narrative review of reviews

BACKGROUND

As the demand for palliative care increases, more information is needed on how efficient different types of palliative care models are for providing care to dying patients and their caregivers. Evidence on the economic value of treatments and interventions is key to informing resource allocation and ultimately improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery. We assessed the available evidence on the economic value of palliative and end-of-life care interventions across various settings.

METHODS

Reviews published between 2000 and 2019 were included. We included reviews that focused on cost-effectiveness, intervention costs and/or healthcare resource use. Two reviewers extracted data independently and in duplicate from the included studies. Data on the key characteristics of the studies were extracted, including the aim of the study, design, population, type of intervention and comparator, (cost-) effectiveness resource use, main findings and conclusions.

RESULTS

A total of 43 reviews were included in the analysis. Overall, most evidence on cost-effectiveness relates to home-based interventions and suggests that they offer substantial savings to the health system, including a decrease in total healthcare costs, resource use and improvement in patient and caregivers' outcomes. The evidence of interventions delivered across other settings was generally inconsistent.

CONCLUSIONS

Some palliative care models may contribute to dual improvement in quality of care via lower rates of aggressive medicalization in the last phase of life accompanied by a reduction in costs. Hospital-based palliative care interventions may improve patient outcomes, healthcare utilization and costs. There is a need for greater consistency in reporting outcome measures, the informal costs of caring, and costs associated with hospice.

Participation in future planning by community-dwelling older Australians receiving aged care services: Findings from a cross-sectional survey

OBJECTIVES

To determine in a sample of older community-dwelling adults: (1) the proportion who have engaged in medical and financial planning; (2) the factors associated with advance care directive (ACD) completion and substitute decision maker (SDM) appointment; and (3) for those without an ACD, what might prompt completion.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was undertaken with individuals receiving community aged care services in metropolitan and regional communities. Data collection was conducted by case managers during a home visit.

RESULTS

Overall, 158 individuals (M = 78 years, SD = 8.7) participated (53.5% consent rate). Financial planning participation (will = 85%; enduring power of attorney = 66%) was higher than medical planning participation (SDM: 54%; ACD: 30%). No health status factors were significantly associated with ACD completion or SDM appointment. Diagnosis of a life-limiting illness was most likely to prompt ACD completion (77.6%).

CONCLUSIONS

One third of older people residing in the community have completed an ACD. Strategies to improve uptake in this vulnerable population require further exploration.

Healthcare utilisation in the last year of life in internal medicine, young-old versus old-old

Background

With increasing cost of healthcare in our aging society, a consistent pain point is that of end-of-life care. It is particularly difficult to prognosticate in non-cancer patients, leading to more healthcare utilisation without improving quality of life. Additionally, older adults do not age homogenously. Hence, we seek to characterise healthcare utilisation in young-old and old-old at the end-of-life.

Methods

We conducted a single-site retrospective review of decedents under department of Advanced Internal Medicine (AIM) over a year. Young-old is defined as 65–79 years; old-old as 80 years and above. Data collected was demographic characteristics; clinical data including Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), FRAIL-NH and advance care planning (ACP); healthcare utilisation including days spent in hospital, hospital admissions, length of stay of terminal admission and clinic visits; and quality of end-of-life care including investigations and symptomatic control. Documentation was individually reviewed for quality of communication.

Results

One hundred eighty-nine older adult decedents. Old-old decedents were mostly females (63% vs. 42%, p = 0.004), higher CCI scores (7.7 vs 6.6, p = 0.007), similarly frail with lower polypharmacy (62.9% vs 71.9%, p = 0.01). ACP uptake was low in both, old-old 15.9% vs. young-old 17.5%. Poor prognosis was conveyed to family, though conversation did not result in moderating extent of care.

Old-old had less healthcare utilisation. Adjusting for sex, multimorbidity and frailty, old-old decedents had 7.3 ± 3.5 less hospital days in their final year. Further adjusting for cognition and residence, old-old had 0.5 ± 0.3 less hospital admissions. When accounted for home care services, old-old spent 2.7 ± 0.8 less hospital days in their last admission.

Conclusion

There was high healthcare utilisation in older adults, but especially young-old. Enhanced education and goal-setting are needed in the acute care setting. ACP needs to be reinforced in acute care with further research to evaluate if it reduces unnecessary utilisation at end-of-life.

Perceptions of optimal end-of-life care in hospitals: A cross-sectional study of nurses in three locations

AIM

To examine whether nurses' location of employment, demographics, or training influences their perceptions of what constitutes optimal care for dying patients in hospital.

DESIGN

Questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Between December 2016-June 2018, 582 registered or enrolled nurses from Australia (N = 153), South Korea (N = 241), and Hong Kong (N = 188) employed in a variety of hospital care units rated the extent to which they agreed with 29 indicators of optimal end-of-life care across four domains: patient, family, healthcare team, and healthcare system. Latent class analysis identified classes of respondents with similar responses.

RESULTS

Top five indicators rated by participants included: 'physical symptoms managed well'; 'private rooms and unlimited visiting hours'; 'spend as much time with the patient as families wish'; 'end-of-life care documents stored well and easily accessed' and 'families know and follow patient's wishes'. Four latent classes were generated: 'Whole system/holistic' (Class 1); 'Patient/provider-dominated' (Class 2); 'Family-dominated' (Class 3) and 'System-dominated' (Class 4). Class 1 had the highest proportion of nurses responding positively for all indicators. Location was an important correlate of perceptions, even after controlling for individual characteristics.

CONCLUSION

Nurses' perceptions of optimal end-of-life care are associated with location, but perhaps not in the direction that stereotypes would suggest. Findings highlight the importance of developing and implementing location-specific approaches to optimize end-of-life care in hospitals.

IMPACT

The findings may be useful to guide education and policy initiatives in Asian and Western countries that stress that end-of-life care is more than symptom management. Indicators can be used to collect data that help quantify differences between optimal care and the care actually being delivered, thereby determining where improvements might be made.

Preferences for End-of-Life Care and Decision Making Among Older and Seriously Ill Inpatients: A Cross-Sectional Study

CONTEXT

Older and seriously ill Australians are often admitted to hospital in the last year of their life. The extent to which these individuals have considered important aspects of end-of-life (EOL) care, including location in which care is provided, goals of care, and involvement of others in decision making, is unclear.

OBJECTIVES

To determine, in a sample of older and seriously ill Australian inpatients, preferences regarding location in which they receive EOL care and reasons for their choice; who is involved in EOL decisions; disclosure of life expectancy; goals of care; and voluntary-assisted dying.

METHODS

Cross-sectional face-to-face survey interviews conducted with 186 (80% consent) inpatients in a tertiary referral center aged 80 years and older; or aged 55 years and older with progressive chronic disease(s); or with physician-estimated life expectancy of less than 12 months.

RESULTS

Home care was preferred (69%), given the perceived availability of family/friends, familiarity of environment, and likelihood of having wishes respected. If unable to make decisions themselves, inpatients wanted family to decide care alone (31%) or with a doctor (49%). Of those who had not discussed life expectancy, 23% wished to. Most (76%) preferred care that maintained quality of life and relieved symptoms. There was some agreement for being sedated at the EOL (63%) and able to access medication to end life (43%).

CONCLUSION

Most inpatients would prefer EOL care that maintains quality and relieves suffering compared with life extension and to receive this care at home. Family involvement in resolution and documentation of EOL decisions should be prioritized.

Mapping palliative and end of care research in Australia (2000–2018)

Objective

The objective of this study is to map the existent research undertaken in Australia into broad thematic areas and identify the characteristics of the studies and areas of future research in the literature.

Methods

A scoping review methodology was employed to map the current areas of research undertaken in Australia since January 2000 until the end of December 2018 according to years of publications, types of studies, populations studied, research themes, and areas of focus.

Results

Our review identified 1,405 Australian palliative care research publications between January 2000 and December 2018. Nearly 40% of the studies were quantitative (39%) and a third were qualitative studies (31%). The remainder of the studies were reviews, mixed methods, quality improvement projects, and others. One-third (30%) of the research was done with carers' participants followed by nurses (22%) and doctors and physicians (18%). The most frequently reported diagnosis in the studies was cancer with 42% of the publication total. The most frequently explored theme was physical symptoms (such as pain, breathlessness, nausea, delirium, and dyspnea) with a total of 16% of all articles followed by communication (15%). There was a large gap to the next most frequently explored theme with service delivery (9%) and coordination of care (8%). Assessment of patients (7%), end-of-life decision-making (6%), and rural/regional (6%) all produced a similar number of publications. Very few studies addressed topics such as quality of life, E-Health, after-hours care, spirituality, and health economics. Moreover, there were only 15 (1%) studies focused on the last days of life.

Significance of the results

The current review presented a comprehensive search of the literature across almost two decades in Australia in the palliative care setting. It has covered a breadth of research topics and highlighted urgent areas for further research.

Prevalence, perceived barriers and sociodemographic correlates of advance care planning in a sample of outpatients

This study aimed to examine the prevalence and perceived barriers to uptake of advance care planning (ACP), including appointment of an enduring guardian (EG) and completion of an advance care directive (ACD) among Australian adults attending hospital outpatient clinics. Sociodemographic correlates of not completing ACP were also assessed. A cross-sectional survey exploring the uptake of ACP was conducted with outpatients and their accompanying persons aged >18 years (n =191) at one regional hospital in New South Wales, Australia. Rates of completion of an ACD and appointment of an EG were 20% (n =37) and 35% (n =67) respectively. The most common reason for non-completion of an ACD and not appointing an EG was: 'didn't think I needed this'. Younger age was associated with not having appointed an EG (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.2-12.1, P =0.02). No sociodemographic characteristics were significantly associated with non-completion of ACDs. Uptake of ACP is suboptimal among outpatients. Community-based healthcare providers are well positioned to promote ACP with outpatients.

Preferences Regarding and Communication About End-of-Life Care Among Older Iranian-American Adults

Using a cross-sectional study, this article addresses end-of-life (EOL) care for older Iranian-American adults. The purposes are twofold: (a) to explore participants’ preferences for home or hospital care in the event they face EOL conditions and (b) to learn how participants prefer to communicate these preferences. Results showed that about half of the 130 participants had communicated their EOL care preferences through written documents and/or verbal discussions. A set of factors predicted the preferences (χ2(9) = 17.42, p < .042) and communications (χ2(9) = 19.54, p = .021). Regression models indicated that higher scores of social support ( p = .013) and greater numbers of cohabitants ( p = .021) were associated with a preference for home care, and experience of a loved one’s death was associated with participants being willing to communicate their preferences for type of care ( p = .015). This study can bridge the gap between culturally diverse older adults’ preferences and types of EOL care they ultimately receive.

Generation of a function affect model for residents with advanced dementia

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This article presents the generation of a model of care encompassing "function" and "affect" based on findings from a 2011 research project aimed at improving care delivery for people with advanced dementia. Objectives were to provide comprehensive and sustainable care, honouring and respecting the person.

BACKGROUND

Dementia is a debilitating, progressive, and terminal disease with a trajectory ranging from approximately 3 to 16 years, yet attention to end-of-life care, promoting comfort, alleviating suffering, and maximizing quality of life is frequently overlooked for people living in the advanced stages of the disease.

METHODS

The research project from which the model was drawn used a three-phase mixed methods approach at three residential aged care facilities (nursing homes) providing high care in New South Wales, Australia. Thematic analysis was elicited from focus group discussions with staff, family members, and carers of residents.

FINDINGS

Themes describe distinct dimensions of a model of care: "function" (dedication, designation, and deliberation) and "affect" (the personal outcomes revealed in relaxation, stimulation, and transformation).

CONCLUSION

Reframing nursing practice from task and disease orientation to person centred and relationship focused is essential in meeting the complete needs of people with advanced dementia. This transformational model of care may be useful in adapting to other end-of-life care settings.

A Systematic Review in Support of the National Consensus Project Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care, Fourth Edition

CONTEXT

Palliative care continues to be a rapidly growing field aimed at improving quality of life for patients and their caregivers.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this review was to provide a synthesis of the evidence in palliative care to inform the fourth edition of the National Consensus Project Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care.

METHODS

Ten key review questions addressing eight content domains guided a systematic review focused on palliative care interventions. We searched eight databases in February 2018 for systematic reviews published in English from 2013, after the last edition of National Consensus Project guidelines was published, to present. Experienced literature reviewers screened, abstracted, and appraised data per a detailed protocol registered in PROSPERO. The quality of evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations criteria. The review was supported by a technical expert panel.

RESULTS

We identified 139 systematic reviews meeting inclusion criteria. Reviews addressed the structure and process of care (interdisciplinary team care, 13 reviews; care coordination, 18 reviews); physical aspects (48 reviews); psychological aspects (26 reviews); social aspects (two reviews); spiritual, religious, and existential aspects (11 reviews); cultural aspects (three reviews); care of the patient nearing the end of life (grief/bereavement programs, six reviews; final days of life, two reviews); ethical and legal aspects (36 reviews).

CONCLUSION

A substantial body of evidence exists to support clinical practice guidelines for quality palliative care, but the quality of evidence is limited.

Managing people with diabetes during the cancer palliation in the era of simultaneous care

Managing people with diabetes and cancer during palliation constitutes a daunting challenge. Cancer, diabetes and treatment toxicity could be seen as a "Bermuda Triangle" for physician and health care professionals in general. Based on literature review, the present paper stresses the distinctive aspects that diabetes and cancer together involve and bring out. Considering the simultaneous care approach as the basement of our perspective, we explore the areas of palliative intervention for which the specific features of persons with diabetes and cancer emerge: pain manifestation and treatment, response to opioids, psychosocial and communication aspects, infection-related susceptibility and complications. The overall impact of suffering that these two diseases in association involve requires new awareness and a cultural attitude towards new network based approaches in order to strengthen the person-centered health care in this field.

Palliative care as an essential component of the HIV care continuum

Although antiretroviral therapy has reduced mortality among people with HIV, inadequate treatment coverage, ageing, and the increasing incidence of organ failure and malignancies mean that high-quality care should include care at the end of life. This Review summarises the epidemiology of HIV in relation to mortality, and the symptoms and concerns of people with AIDS and those living with HIV who have either related or unrelated advanced comorbidities. In response to the evidence of a need for palliative care, the principles and practice of palliative care are described, and the evidence for its effectiveness and cost-effectiveness is appraised. The core practices of palliative care offer a mechanism to enhance the person-centred nature of HIV care; I identify the gaps in this type of care, and present evidence for effective models of care to address these. I detail the policies that prompt governments and health systems to respond to the palliative care needs of their population. Finally, I conclude this Review with evidence-based recommendations to improve the delivery of, and access to, high-quality HIV care until the end of life, reducing unnecessary suffering while optimising person-centred outcomes.

Impact of advance care planning on end-of-life management

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The aim of this review is to critically appraise the recent evidence on different aspects of impact of advance care planning (ACP) in palliative care and to reflect on further implications on practice and research in the future.

RECENT FINDINGS

Evidence about various ACP impacts is rapidly growing and most common outcome measures are still advance directive completion, change in hospital admission rate and patients' and families' views and experiences with ACP. Mainly descriptive studies bring new information of ACP impact for specific groups of patients, their families, settings, countries, contexts, staff and healthcare system as such. It is not yet clear who and when would best conduct ACP, from general practitioners (GPs) to specialists in the hospitals and even lay-navigators for cancer patients; from early ACP conversations to critical ACP in acute events at the end-of-life. The need for ACP impacts high-quality evidence is becoming more urgent because latest future projections are showing higher palliative care needs than previously expected.

SUMMARY

Recent studies on various ACP impacts reveal variety of outcomes for different patient groups and settings, and are contributing to a wider picture of ACP situation around the world. However, high-quality evidence on ACP impact is still urgently expected in times of growing need for system-level changes for effective ACP implementation.

Have we increased our efforts to identify strategies which encourage colorectal cancer screening in primary care patients? A review of research outputs over time

Globally, colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates remain suboptimal. Primary care practitioners are supported by clinical practice guidelines which recommend they provide routine CRC screening advice. Published research can provide evidence to improve CRC screening in primary care, however this is dependent on the type and quality of evidence being produced. This review aimed to provide a snapshot of trends in the type and design quality of research reporting CRC screening among primary care patients across three time points: 1993-1995, 2003-2005 and 2013-2015. Four databases were searched using MeSH headings and keywords. Publications in peer-reviewed journals which reported primary data on CRC screening uptake among primary care patients were eligible for inclusion. Studies meeting eligibility criteria were coded as observational or intervention. Intervention studies were further coded to indicate whether or not they met Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) study design criteria. A total of 102 publications were included. Of these, 65 reported intervention studies and 37 reported observational studies. The proportion of each study type did not change significantly over time. The majority of intervention studies met EPOC design criteria at each time point. The majority of research in this field has focused on testing strategies to increase CRC screening in primary care patients, as compared to research describing rates of CRC screening in this population. Further research is needed to determine which effective interventions are most likely to be adopted into primary care.

Quality versus quantity in end-of-life choices of cancer patients and support persons: a discrete choice experiment

OBJECTIVES

To explore in a sample of medical oncology outpatients and their nominated support persons (SPs): (1) the relative influence of pain, consciousness and life extension on end-of-life choices using a discrete choice experiment (DCE); (2) the extent to which SPs can predict the choices of index patients and (3) whether having a previous end-of-life discussion was associated with dyad agreement.

METHODS

Adult medical oncology patients and their SPs were approached for consent to complete a survey containing a DCE. Participants chose between three unlabelled care scenarios characterised by three attributes: pain (mild, moderate or severe), consciousness (some, half or most of time) and extension of life (1, 2 or 3 weeks). Respondents selected (1) most-preferred and (2) least-preferred scenarios within each question. SPs answered the same questions but from patient's perspective.

RESULTS

A total of 110 patients and 64 SPs responded overall (42 matched patient-SP dyads). For patients, pain was the most influential predictor of most- and least-preferred scenarios (z = 12.5 and z = 12.9). For SPs, pain was the only significant predictor of most and least-preferred scenarios (z = 9.7 and z = 11.5). Dyad agreement was greater for choices about least- (69%) compared to most-preferred scenarios (55%). Agreement was slightly higher for dyads reporting a previous EOL discussion (68 versus 48%; p = 0.065).

CONCLUSION

Patients and SPs place significant value on avoiding severe pain when making end-of-life choices, over and above level of consciousness or life extension. People's views about end-of-life scenarios they most as well as least prefer should be sought.

Ethical decision-making climate in the ICU: theoretical framework and validation of a self-assessment tool

Background

Literature depicts differences in ethical decision-making (EDM) between countries and intensive care units (ICU).

Objectives

To better conceptualise EDM climate in the ICU and to validate a tool to assess EDM climates.

Methods

Using a modified Delphi method, we built a theoretical framework and a self-assessment instrument consisting of 35 statements. This Ethical Decision-Making Climate Questionnaire (EDMCQ) was developed to capture three EDM domains in healthcare: interdisciplinary collaboration and communication; leadership by physicians; and ethical environment. This instrument was subsequently validated among clinicians working in 68 adult ICUs in 13 European countries and the USA. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine the structure of the EDM climate as perceived by clinicians. Measurement invariance was tested to make sure that variables used in the analysis were comparable constructs across different groups.

Results

Of 3610 nurses and 1137 physicians providing ICU bedside care, 2275 (63.1%) and 717 (62.9%) participated respectively. Statistical analyses revealed that a shortened 32-item version of the EDMCQ scale provides a factorial valid measurement of seven facets of the extent to which clinicians perceive an EDM climate: self-reflective and empowering leadership by physicians; practice and culture of open interdisciplinary reflection; culture of not avoiding end-of-life decisions; culture of mutual respect within the interdisciplinary team; active involvement of nurses in end-of-life care and decision-making; active decision-making by physicians; and practice and culture of ethical awareness. Measurement invariance of the EDMCQ across occupational groups was shown, reflecting that nurses and physicians interpret the EDMCQ items in a similar manner.

Conclusions

The 32-item version of the EDMCQ might enrich the EDM climate measurement, clinicians’ behaviour and the performance of healthcare organisations. This instrument offers opportunities to develop tailored ICU team interventions.