Pediatr Crit Care Me
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2018
ReviewIntegrating Palliative Care Into the ICU: From Core Competency to Consultative Expertise.
To propose a model describing levels of integration of palliative care into the care of ICU patients. ⋯ All critical care team members should demonstrate and foster their core competencies in caring for patients with complex illness and uncertain prognosis, including at the end of life. We describe these core competencies of the ICU team member as "primary" palliative care skills. Some ICU team members will have special expertise in end-of-life care or symptom management and decision-making support and will serve as local experts within the ICU team as a resource to other team members. We call this skillset "secondary" palliative care. Some patients will benefit from the full range of expertise provided by a separate consulting team, with additional training, focused on caring for patients with palliative care needs across the full spectrum of patient locations within a health system. We term the skillset provided by such outside consultants "tertiary" palliative care. Solutions for meeting patients' palliative care needs will be unique within each system and individual institution, depending on available resources, history, and structures in place. Providers from multiple professions will usually contribute to meeting patient needs.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2018
ReviewNotes on the Development of the Slovenian Ethical Recommendations for Decision-Making on Treatment and Palliative Care of Patients at the End of Life in Intensive Care Medicine.
To describe the process of development of "Slovenian Ethical Recommendations for Decision-Making on Treatment and Palliative Care of Patients at the End of Life in Intensive Care Medicine" and its final outcomes. ⋯ Slovenian ethical recommendations bring a small piece to a long tradition of ethical practice in a small European country. Despite the availability of informative international guiding documents on the issue, there are several specific good reasons for a small country or a region to develop its own unique guidelines (i.e., lack of local directives and legislation, unique cultural and political situation, need for development of professional expertise and terminology, and to educate healthcare providers). The authors strongly believe that our recommendations positively impact practice and will support best possible integrated palliative and end-of-life quality care with the ICU.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2018
ReviewOrgan Donation Following Neurologic and Circulatory Determination of Death.
To describe important considerations during the process of caring for critically ill children who may be potential organ donors and supporting the family during the death of their child. ⋯ Organ donation is an important component of end-of-life care and can help the healing process for families and medical staff following the death of a child. The process of pediatric organ donation requires healthcare providers to actively work to preserve the option of donation before the death of the child and ensure donation occurs after consent/authorization has been obtained from the family. Medical management of the pediatric organ donor requires the expertise of a multidisciplinary medical team skilled in the unique needs of caring for children after neurologic determination of death and those who become donors following circulatory death after withdrawal of life-sustaining medical therapies.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2018
Neurologic Outcomes After Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Systematic Review.
The goal of this systematic review of the literature was to summarize neurologic outcomes following neonatal and pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. ⋯ This systematic review of the literature suggests that children who have undergone extracorporeal membrane oxygenation suffer from a wide range of disabilities. A meta-analysis was not feasible due to heterogeneity in pathologies, outcome measures, and age at follow-up, underscoring the importance of developing and employing a core set of outcomes measures in future extracorporeal membrane oxygenation studies.
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To describe the health outcomes of bereaved parents and identify practical strategies for critical care providers as they support and provide anticipatory guidance to bereaved parents. ⋯ The death of a child is a traumatic experience that can put parents at risk for adverse mental and physical health during bereavement. Health professionals working in PICUs can benefit from knowing these risks to best support bereaved parents, both during their child's hospitalization and in the early postdeath period. The bereavement experience of parents is an adaptive process, and ongoing professional support may be required for vulnerable families. After the child's hospitalization and death, a bereavement follow-up meeting with PICU physician(s) and staff may allow parents to gain additional information, emotional support, and provide an opportunity for parents to give feedback on their experiences.