Back to Search
Start Over
Economic implications of end-of-life care in the ICU
- Source :
- Current Opinion in Critical Care. 20:656-661
- Publication Year :
- 2014
- Publisher :
- Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health), 2014.
-
Abstract
- Purpose of review Advance care planning and palliative care interventions can improve the quality of end-of-life care by reducing unwanted high intensity care at the end of life. This may have important economic implications and may reduce the financial burden of patients' families. We review the literature to examine the impact advance care planning and palliative care has on ICU utilization, specifically ICU admissions and ICU length of stay (LOS), and to provide insight into ways to reduce costs and financial burden of care while simultaneously improving quality of care. Recent findings We identified three studies assessing the impact of palliative care consultation on ICU admissions for patients with life-limiting illness; all three demonstrate reduced ICU admissions for patients receiving palliative care consultation. Among 16 studies evaluating ICU LOS as an outcome, five report no change and 11 report decrease in LOS for patients receiving advance care planning or palliative care. These studies are heterogeneous in design and target population; however, a trend toward reduced ICU utilization exists. Summary Advance care planning and palliative care can reduce ICU utilization at the end of life. The degree to which reducing ICU utilization decreases emotional and financial burden of end-of-life care for patients and families is unknown.
- Subjects :
- Advance care planning
Terminal Care
medicine.medical_specialty
Palliative care
Cost Control
business.industry
Palliative Care
Length of Stay
Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine
Article
Advance Care Planning
Intensive Care Units
Cost of Illness
Ambulatory care
Critical care nursing
Health care
Emergency medicine
Humans
Medicine
business
Intensive care medicine
Unlicensed assistive personnel
End-of-life care
Curative care
Quality of Health Care
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 10705295
- Volume :
- 20
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Current Opinion in Critical Care
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....32e4c6b3e222e215f5f8e0f521f20587