Privacy at end of life in ICU: a review of the literature

ConclusionsResearch has shown that patient and family privacy during the ICU hospitalisation and the provision of the circumstances that lead to an environment of privacy during and after death remains a significant challenge for ICU nurses. Family members have little or no privacy in shared room and cramped waiting rooms, while they wish to be better informed and involved in end‐of‐life decisions. Hence, death and dying for many patients takes place in open and/or shared spaces which is problematic in terms of both the level of privacy and respect that death ought to afford. Relevance to Clinical PracticeIt is best if end‐of‐life care in the ICU is planned and coordinated, where possible. Nurses need to become more self‐reflective and aware in relation to end‐of‐life situations in ICU in order to develop privacy practices that are responsive to family and patient needs.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Source: Journal of Clinical Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Special Issue Article Source Type: research