People, families and medical caregivers want improvements for those who die in hospital intensive care. In an era of increasing trust in use of home hospice many people say that they would prefer to die at home, or in a homelike setting. But a considerable number of patients with chronic, life-threatening illnesses enter hospital for acute care near the end of life and die in an intensive care unit (ICU).

Today 1 in 5 deaths in the United States takes place in the intensive care unit (ICU) or shortly after receiving intensive care, a trend that is likely to continue, according to intensive care specialists writing in a supplement to this month’s Critical Care Medicine.

More patients with severe illness are arriving at ICUs, the authors explain, and many families and patients with chronic, life-limiting diseases are opting for a trial period of intensive care. The patients have needs which traditional ICUs were not specifically designed to meet, especially needs for ongoing palliative or “comfort care.” And the families need and are asking for more information and support.

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http://www.psa-rising.com/living/end-of-life-care2-06.html