Early Integration of Specialty Palliative Care with Critical Care for Critical Illness
This study is evaluating whether early integration of palliative care with standard critical care can improve outcomes for critically ill older patients at high risk of death or severe functional impairments and their family members.
See full descriptionAbout the trial for Critical Illness
Treatment Groups
This trial involves 2 different treatments. Early Integration Of Specialty Palliative Care With Critical Care is the primary treatment being studied. Participants will all receive the same treatment. There is no placebo group. The treatments being tested are not being studied for commercial purposes.
Eligibility
This trial is for patients born any sex aged 18 and older. There are 10 eligibility criteria to participate in this trial as listed below.
Approximate Timelines
Measurement Requirements
This trial is evaluating whether Early Integration of Specialty Palliative Care with Critical Care will improve 1 primary outcome, 14 secondary outcomes, and 4 other outcomes in patients with Critical Illness. Measurement will happen over the course of Measured at day 5 post-randomization.
Who is running the study
Principal InvestigatorPatient Q & A Section
What is early integration of specialty palliative care with critical care?
Early integration of palliative care into a critical care environment can improve quality of dying and lead to decreased length of hospitalization among patients who die in the ICU.
What are the signs of critical illness?
Signs and symptoms of critical illness can include increased pain, increased frequency of respiratory rate, fever, and leukocytosis that is not accompanied by infection. Fever and leukocytosis can suggest infection but not necessarily a severe illness. If no other causes are obvious, a diagnosis must be considered.
What are common treatments for critical illness?
Many people with critical illnesses receive medications to treat their illness. These include diuretics, analgesics, and many other agents. Some of the agents may worsen a person's critical illness. In the first 24 hours of critical illness in nursing home residents, the medication should be changed to one with greater therapeutic benefit. In the first 24 hours of critical illness in medical patients, especially those in the ICU or experiencing delirium, the medication should be changed. In the first 24 hours or less of critical illness in medical residents, the medication should not be changed.
How many people get critical illness a year in the United States?
Critically ill patients with multiple comorbidities, as well as those with psychiatric problems, are at high risk for acute admission to a hospital intensive care unit (ICU). The majority of patients admitted to an ICU are in critical condition (primary ICU admission or transfer from another ICU); many of these patients are critically ill with underlying diseases that predispose them to rapid deterioration. Approximately one in three critically ill patients required a primary ICU admission, and they represent a substantial burden to the institutional cost of ICU care. In the absence of randomized controlled trials, the quality of care and associated cost benefits can be evaluated using patient database information.
What is critical illness?
Critical illnesses are the most common cause of death in intensive care units. ICU mortality is primarily related to factors such as co-morbid illness, the underlying illness and the presence of the critically ill patient on extracorporeal technologies. Critical illness is a very varied, complex and heterogeneous group of clinical illnesses and therefore requires the development of tools to diagnose, predict outcome and intervene in order to improve the patient's prognosis and functional status.
What causes critical illness?
Critical illness can be accompanied by many medical conditions that can impair the body and lead to organ dysfunction. In addition, critical illness involves a complex interplay between multiple body systems, such as the neurological system, the immune system, and the cardiovascular system, all with a complex array of hormonal changes and altered endocrine functioning. All of these factors can lead to complications, some of which can be addressed. Current pharmacological practice is imperfect, but can be improved in order to improve the length and quality of life of patients.
Can critical illness be cured?
Survival after intensive care treatment is lower than after intensive care treatment for nonsevere sepsis, even when both groups have a significant chance of survival with a single institution's treatment strategies. However, both groups have improved long-term survival when critically ill patients are discharged from a second institution's intensive care unit.
Is early integration of specialty palliative care with critical care safe for people?
Early integration of palliative care with critical care can be safely implemented into the existing critical care environment. Palliative care should be offered to patients in all areas of intensive care, including the ICU. Palliative services can be provided both within an ICU and from specialist palliative care wards. A multidisciplinary approach is important for optimal patient care and avoids the potential challenges of transferring patients to another provider if palliative services are unavailable. The palliative staff in this setting can be trained both in clinical decision-making and to coordinate palliative care services in critically ill patients who have limited or no advance directives.
Is early integration of specialty palliative care with critical care typically used in combination with any other treatments?
Most hospice patients received a multidisciplinary approach. The majority participated in intensive inpatient treatment. Recent findings strongly suggest that a palliative approach at the end of life could be integrated into critical care services.
How does early integration of specialty palliative care with critical care work?
The integration of palliative care and critical care work can be highly successful within the context of an integrated team of clinicians and a palliative care team. The team composition should include a specialist palliative care team-members and multidisciplinary clinical teams with expertise and responsibilities to integrate palliative and critical care. There is scope for standardization and collaborative development of guidelines and core clinical modules that integrate palliative and critical care.
What is the latest research for critical illness?
There is a lot to offer in the way of critical illness research. Most of the research from the last quarter of the 20th century and some from the first quarter of the 21st century that addresses critical illness remains relevant and potentially useful, and is likely to be used in clinical practice. There is also a real and growing interest in critical illness from researchers who feel that the time has come to address the real and common problem that critically ill patients face rather than just targeting a small group of rare diseases. The challenge then is a balance between choosing a research avenue that is both clinically and economically sensible for your hospital and local clinical populations, and then prioritising the research agenda to tackle the problem that it promises to solve.
Have there been other clinical trials involving early integration of specialty palliative care with critical care?
Early integration of palliative care with critical care may improve the quality of care and help patients with complicated medical illness live longer when compared with standard approaches in which palliative care specialists only visit patients in the final month of life.