HHS HealthBeat (May 8, 2012)

Talking quality before the ICU

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

After long stays in intensive care, patients might not be able to return to the life they once had. But a study finds that family members who have to make decisions for the patient often hadn’t talked with the patient about these quality of life issues. Sara Douglas of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland saw that in an analysis of 116 family meetings.

Douglas says this discussion is not about ICU medical care – it’s about how the patient wants to live after the care:

“If we can have these discussions at a time when we are not ill – or at least not acutely ill – we’ll be able to afford our loved ones the gift of knowing our wishes.”

The study in the journal Critical Care Medicine was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at healthfinder.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 8, 2012