Abstract
BackgroundPhysicians working in critical and intensive care settings encounter death of chronic incurable patients on a daily basis; however they have scant skills on how to communicate with the patients and their family members. The aim of the present survey is to examine communication of critical and intensive care physicians with patients’ family members receiving treatment due to chronic incurable diseases/conditions and to compare the views of families with physicians working in critical and intensive care settings.MethodsThe survey was conducted in four cities of Georgia (Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi and Telavi) in 2014. Physicians working in critical and intensive care settings and family members were asked to fill in separate questionnaires, covering various aspects of communication including patients’ prognosis, ways of death occurrence, treatment plans and religion. Participants ranked their responses on a scale ranging from “0” to “10”, where “0” represented “never” and “10”-“always”. After data collection, responses were recoded into three categories: 0–3 = never/rarely, 4–7 = somewhat and 8–10 = often/always. Differences were tested using Pearson’s chi-square or Fisher’s exact test as appropriate. P value of < 0.05 was considered as significant.ResultsSixty-five physicians and 59 patients’ family members participated in this cross-sectional study. Majority of their responses was statistically significantly different. Only one quarter (23.7 %) of family members of patients receiving medical aid in critical and intensive care settings were satisfied with the communication level. In contrast, 78.5 % of physicians considered their communication with families as positive (p < 0.0001).ConclusionsThe survey revealed the mismatch between the views on communication of critical and intensive care settings physicians and family members of the patients with chronic incurable diseases receiving care in critical and intensive care settings. In order to provide the best care for chronic incurable patients and their family members, physicians working in critical and intensive care settings must have relevant clinical knowledge and ability to provide effective communication. Present results reflect important potential targets for educational interventions including critical and intensive care physicians training through online modules.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12904-016-0135-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Physicians working in critical and intensive care settings encounter death of chronic incurable patients on a daily basis; they have scant skills on how to communicate with the patients and their family members
The survey revealed the mismatch between the views on communication of critical and intensive care settings physicians and family members of the patients with chronic incurable diseases receiving care in critical and intensive care settings
In order to provide the best care for chronic incurable patients and their family members, physicians working in critical and intensive care settings must have relevant clinical knowledge and ability to provide effective communication
Summary
Physicians working in critical and intensive care settings encounter death of chronic incurable patients on a daily basis; they have scant skills on how to communicate with the patients and their family members. Many patients with serious and life-threatening illness are admitted to CIC settings because the symptoms cannot be controlled at home or in the community setting [6, 7], question about ‘futility’ of some types of care provided to terminally ill patients in CIC settings is being increasingly debated [8]. The CIC physicians may have limited training and resources to manage and respond well to patients who have palliative care needs, nor to fully respect these patients’ preferences and expectations [9, 10]. Despite encountering death on a daily basis physicians in CIC settings are not always trained in delivering bad news [11]. In Georgia, physicians do not feel comfortable to break bad news with patients or their relatives about poor prognosis or the futility of treatment [12]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
