A plan to improve end-of-life care for trauma victims and their families.
End-of-life care for trauma patients is unique in that clinicians rarely have the advantage of knowing victims prior to the event. In this setting, the unfamiliarity with patients' wishes and values, the critical nature of the injury, the overwhelming feelings of guilt that families often experience, the suddenness and acuity of the crisis, and the need to make life-and-death decisions, can result in end-of-life care scenarios that are challenging to manage and often difficult to experience. This article describes a plan to develop, implement, and test a best practice model of end-of-life care for trauma victims and their families.
Jacobs
Lenworth M
LM
Department of Traumatology & Emergency Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, USA
Jacobs
Barbara Bennett
BB
Burns
Karyl J
KJ
D001294:Attitude to Health; D019985:Benchmarking / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003142:Communication; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000592:standards; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D010686:Philosophy, Medical; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration; D029181:Spirituality; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards*; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration; D014194:Traumatology / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy