Quality of Dying in the Intensive Care Unit: Validation of the CAESAR Scale

Overview

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the quality of the dying process in french ICUs (assessed by the CAESAR scale) and to compare physicians', nurses' and relatives perceptions and experiences, with a one-year follow-up of bereaved relatives. Our hypothesis is that perception of the quality of dying may impact on relatives' experience of bereavement (anxiety, depression, complicated grief, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)).

Seventy percent of all deaths occur in the hospital environment, and amongst them 20% occur in intensive care units (ICU). In France, no studies have evaluated the quality of the end-of-life process from both the professional and the lay perspective. The CAESAR scale has been developed from literature reviews and qualitative interviews with relatives, physicians and nurse to assess quality of dying in ICU. Our hypothesis is that perception of the quality of dying may impact on relatives' experience of bereavement (anxiety, depression, complicated grief, PTSD).

Conditions

Eligibility

Locations (47)

Outcomes