End-of-Life Communication in the ICU: A Global Perspective

Talking to patients and their families about end-of-life issues can be difficult and stressful. End of Life Communication in the ICU looks at ways different cultures view death and then further explores how health care providers around the world communicate about such sensitive issues as withholding or withdrawing life support and discussing options when the outcome is uncertain. 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.

Table of Contents:
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.

Review :
From the reviews: "This is multiauthored collection of perspectives on medical futility, its communication, and its management in the critical care setting. … Senior staff, fellows, and residents at all levels are an appropriate audience for this work which originates from a multinational set of authors with an interest in end-of-life care." (David J. Dries, Doody's Review Service, February, 2008) "The book chronicles a wide range of views from practitioners, ethicists, historians, scientists, health care administrators, and consumers from around the world and examines how these interactions affect global health care delivery. The book is loosely organized into brief chapters that capture multinational perspectives on end-of-life care, resource management in critical care, and ethics. … offers the reader a cultural tour of end-of-life communication practices through the eyes of frontline practitioners." (Elaine C. Meyer, JAMA, October, 2008)