title: A model for emergency department end-of-life communications after acute devastating events--part II: moving from resuscitative to end-of-life or palliative treatment.
abstract: The model for emergency department (ED) end-of-life communications after acute devastating events addresses decision-making capacity, surrogates, and advance directives, including legal definitions and application of these steps. Part II concerns communications moving from resuscitative to palliative and end-of-life treatments. After completing the steps involved in determining decision-making, emergency physicians (EPs) should consider starting palliative measures versus continuing resuscitative treatment. As communications related to these end-of-life decisions increasingly fall within the scope of emergency medicine (EM) practice, we need to become educated about and comfortable with them.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA. wlimehouse@comcast.net
authors.forename: Walter E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Limehouse
authors.forename: V Ramana
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Feeser
authors.forename: Kelly J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Bookman
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Derse
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000628:therapy; D003657:Decision Making; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017146:Models, Organizational; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012151:Resuscitation / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States