Contributed by:
Jennifer Hopwood, Director of Operations – OSF Constantcare
Patients in the intensive care unit (USI) can be difficult to treat, especially when faced with several diseases. Patients with intensive care are also likely to feel other discomforts in hospital, such as anxiety, pain, nausea and shortness of breath, to name only a few. It is not uncommon for patients or family members to find it difficult to understand their diseases and treatments. This can often cause care given the correspondence of the care desired by our patients.
Role of palliative care in USI
Palliative care aim to make patients more comfortable during their treatments, not only at the end of life. It also focuses on the guarantee that the care provided correspond to the patient’s needs and objectives.
This type of care should be provided to patients in the USI, but in the past, this was not the case. This type of care has been neglected for a number of reasons, including the lack of palliative care resources, poor communication, expectations of the patient care team and not to ask for what the patient wants for him.
The palliative care pilot brings together intensive care teams
The full care center of the OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington, Illinois has teamed up with our electronic intensive care program (EICU), OSF Constantcare, to pilot a new EICU module which will help ensure that all patients at the USI hospital receive palliative care from nurses and doctors who provide treatment. By working together, EICU and intensive care teams are able to better assess the needs of patients, set treatment objectives and see how much treatment works.
This pilot also meets the need for clear communication between patients and families with their care team thanks to daily meetings and planned family meetings. The advantages of providing palliative care to all patients in intensive care include improving the patient’s experience and a shorter duration spent in the hospital.
Last update: January 13, 2022
