End-of-Life Communication in the ICU

Talking to patients and their families about end-of-life issues can be difficult and stressful. This book looks at ways different cultures view death and then further explores how health care providers around the world communicate about such sensitive issues.

A guide to communicating with ICU patients and their families about end-of-life issues, with emphasis on global differences in attitudes toward death and the common goal of the most effective, comprehensible communication possible

Zusammenfassung
Through a better understanding of cultural differences in attitudes about death and methods of communications about end-of-life issues, practitioners can be better prepared to communicate with their own patients and their patients' families.

Inhalt
Multinational Perspectives on End-of-Life Issues in the Intensive Care Unit.- Critical Illness and End-of-Life Issues: A Global View.- Death in a Lonely Place: Pathophysiology of the Dying Patient.- The History of the Definition(s)of Death: From the 18th Century to the 20th Century.- What It Feels Like to Live and Die on Prolonged Life Support.- Who's in Charge in the Intensive Care Unit?.- Dealing with Difficult Surrogates.- Emotions in the Intensive Care Unit.- The Role of Ethics Committees in End-of-Life Care.- Medical Liability Issues in Dealing with Critical Care Patients in the End-of-Life Situation.- End-of-Life Issues and United States Politics.- Comments from Ancillary Healthcare Providers.- The Intensive Care Unit of the Future.