Quality of dying in the ICU: is it worse for patients admitted from the hospital ward compared to those admitted from the emergency department?

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Although most intensive care unit (ICU) admissions originate in the emergency department (ED), a substantial number of admissions arrive from hospital wards. Patients transferred from the hospital ward often share clinical characteristics with those admitted from the ED, but family expectations may differ. An understanding of the impact of ICU admission source on family perceptions of end-of-life care may help improve patient and family outcomes by identifying those at risk for poor outcomes.

Design and setting

This was a cohort study of patients with chronic illness and acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation who died after admission to an ICU in any of the 14 participating hospitals in the Seattle-Tacoma area between 2003 and 2008 (n = 1,500).<

SUBMITTER: Long AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4350659 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature