Beyond Pain: Nurses' Assessment of Patient Suffering, Dignity, and Dying in the Intensive Care Unit.

ABSTRACT:

Context

Deaths in the intensive care unit (ICU) are increasingly common in the U.S., yet little is known about patients' experiences at the end of life in the ICU.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to determine nurse assessment of symptoms experienced, and care received by ICU patients in their final week, and their associations with nurse-perceived suffering and dignity.

Methods

From September 2015 to March 2017, nurses who cared for 200 ICU patients who died were interviewed about physical and psychosocial dimensions of patients' experiences. Medical chart abstraction was used to document baseline patient characteristics and care.

Results

The patient sample was 61% males, 70.2% whites, and on average 66.9 (SD 15.1) years old. Nurses reported that 40.

SUBMITTER: Su A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5991087 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature