TY - JOUR
T1 - Unexpected death in palliative care
T2 - What to expect when you are not expecting
AU - Hui, David
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2015/1/1
Y1 - 2015/1/1
N2 - Purpose of review Death is a certainty in life. Yet, the timing of death is often uncertain. When death occurs suddenly and earlier than anticipated, it is considered as an unexpected death. In this article, we shall discuss when is death expected and unexpected, and review the frequency, impact, causes, and approach to unexpected death in the palliative care setting. Recent findings Even in the palliative care setting in which death is relatively common, up to 5% of deaths in hospice and 10% of deaths in palliative care units were considered to be unexpected. Unexpected death has significant impact on care, including unrealized dreams and unfinished business among patients, a sense of uneasiness and complicated bereavement among caregivers, and uncertainty in decision making among healthcare providers. Clinicians may minimize the impact of unexpected events by improving their accuracy of prognostication, communicating the uncertainty with patients and families, and helping them to expect the unexpected by actively planning ahead. Furthermore, because of the emotional impact of unexpected death on bereaved caregivers, clinicians should provide close monitoring and offer prompt treatment for complicated grief. Summary Further research is needed to understand how we can better predict and address unexpected events.
AB - Purpose of review Death is a certainty in life. Yet, the timing of death is often uncertain. When death occurs suddenly and earlier than anticipated, it is considered as an unexpected death. In this article, we shall discuss when is death expected and unexpected, and review the frequency, impact, causes, and approach to unexpected death in the palliative care setting. Recent findings Even in the palliative care setting in which death is relatively common, up to 5% of deaths in hospice and 10% of deaths in palliative care units were considered to be unexpected. Unexpected death has significant impact on care, including unrealized dreams and unfinished business among patients, a sense of uneasiness and complicated bereavement among caregivers, and uncertainty in decision making among healthcare providers. Clinicians may minimize the impact of unexpected events by improving their accuracy of prognostication, communicating the uncertainty with patients and families, and helping them to expect the unexpected by actively planning ahead. Furthermore, because of the emotional impact of unexpected death on bereaved caregivers, clinicians should provide close monitoring and offer prompt treatment for complicated grief. Summary Further research is needed to understand how we can better predict and address unexpected events.
KW - death
KW - decision making
KW - neoplasms
KW - palliative care
KW - prognosis
KW - survival
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U2 - 10.1097/SPC.0000000000000174
DO - 10.1097/SPC.0000000000000174
M3 - Review article
C2 - 26509862
AN - SCOPUS:84960116042
SN - 1751-4258
VL - 9
SP - 369
EP - 374
JO - Current opinion in supportive and palliative care
JF - Current opinion in supportive and palliative care
IS - 4
ER -