Factors associated with nurse assessment of the quality of dying and death in the intensive care unit.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the feasibility of using nurse ratings of quality of dying and death to assess quality of end-of-life care in the intensive care unit and to determine factors associated with nurse assessment of the quality of dying and death for patients dying in the intensive care unit.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study.


METHODS
Hospital intensive care unit.


METHODS
178 patients who died in an intensive care unit during a 10-month period at one hospital.


METHODS
Nurses completed a 14-item questionnaire measuring the quality of dying and death in the intensive care unit (QODD); standardized chart reviews were also completed.


RESULTS
Five variables were found to be associated with QODD scores. Higher (better) scores were significantly associated with having someone present at the time of death (p <.001), having life support withdrawn (p =.006), having an acute diagnosis such as intracranial hemorrhage or trauma (p =.007), not having cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the last 8 hrs of life (p <.001), and being cared for by the neurosurgery or neurology services (p =.002). Patient age, chronic disease, and Glasgow Coma Scale scores were not associated with the 14-item QODD. Using multivariate analyses, we identified three variables as independent predictors of the QODD score: a) not having cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed in the last 8 hrs of life; b) having someone present at the moment of death; and c) being cared for by neurosurgery or neurology services.


CONCLUSIONS
Intensive care unit nurse assessment of quality of dying and death is a feasible method for obtaining quality ratings. Based on nurse assessments, this study provides evidence of some potential targets for interventions to improve the quality of dying for some patients: having someone present at the moment of death and not having cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the last 8 hrs of life. If nurse-assessed quality of dying is to be a useful tool for measuring and improving quality of end-of-life care, it is important to understand the factors associated with nurse ratings.
Harborview Medical Center, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Naomi M
NM
Hodde
Ruth A
RA
Engelberg
Patsy D
PD
Treece
Kenneth P
KP
Steinberg
J Randall
JR
Curtis
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001293:Attitude to Death; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003422:Critical Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005066:Euthanasia, Passive / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009462:Neurology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014861:Washington