SCCM Resource Library-Ethics Consultation in the ICU: More Than End-of-Life Care

Pdf Summary

The text reflects on the experiences of healthcare professionals working in critical care settings regarding ethical dilemmas and the role of ethics consultants. Ethics consultants play a crucial role in addressing various ethical considerations beyond end-of-life care, such as resource allocation, informed consent, communication, and moral distress in intensive care units (ICUs). The article emphasizes the importance of organizational ethics and preventive measures to avoid stressful ethical dilemmas in healthcare settings.<br /><br />Furthermore, the document highlights the expanding role of healthcare ethics consultants and the necessity for dedicated professionals to address complex moral issues in patient care. It discusses the valuable contribution of ethics consultants in mitigating conflicts and supporting families in under-resourced community ICUs where formal ethics teams may be lacking.<br /><br />The piece also stresses the need for healthcare practitioners to recognize and address ethical implications in everyday care to enhance patient outcomes and reduce distress among clinicians. Finally, it encourages ICU colleagues interested in ethics to engage with hospital ethics teams and emphasizes the significance of ongoing education and training in healthcare ethics to navigate challenging ethical landscapes effectively.

Asset Subtitle

Ethics End of Life, 2024, 00:08:14

Asset Caption

"This article was first published in the Spring 2024 issue of Critical Connections.

Critical care medicine is one of the most ethically complex healthcare specialties. Practitioners working in this highly intense setting face a multitude of stressors amid provision of life-sustaining treatments and technological interventions, resource scarcity, and increased workloads. Read about what ethic consultants do and why they are important to intensivists.

Critical Connections, the critical care industry’s only newsmagazine, provides information on cutting-edge topics in critical care useful to the entire multiprofessional team."

Meta Tag

Content Type Article

Knowledge Area Ethics End of Life

Membership Level Associate

Membership Level Professional

Membership Level Select

Tag Resource Allocation

Tag Communication

Year 2024

Keywords

healthcare professionals

critical care settings

ethical dilemmas

ethics consultants

end-of-life care

Article

resource allocation

informed consent

communication

Ethics End of Life

moral distress

organizational ethics

2024

Associate

Professional

Select

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