An extensive introduction to patient-centeredness in critical care through case-based examples of shared decision making.

Sponsored by the Picker/Commonwealth Program for Patient-Centered Care In this comprehensive, research-based look at the experiences and needs of patients, the authors explore models of care that can make hospitalization more humane. Through the Patient's Eyes provides insights into why some hospitals are more patient-centered than others; how physicians can become more involved in patient-centered quality efforts; and how patient-centered quality can be integrated into health care policy, standards, and regulations. The authors show how, by bringing the patient's perspective to the design and delivery of health services, providers can improve their ability to meet patient's needs and enhance the quality of care.

The adult critical care setting requires complex clinical decisions to be made that have a dramatic impact on the lives of patients and their families. This textbook offers evidence-based case histories around shared decision making, providing practical advice to clinicians who are trying to navigate routine clinical scenarios in adult critical care. Early chapters explore the definition of the shared decision making process and practical steps that aid its implementation. The greater part of the book focuses on how shared decision making can be practiced in specific situations that are common in adult critical care, highlighting the relevant knowledge base necessary to manage each situation. Do-not-resuscitate and do-not-intubate orders, ECMO, and resolving conflicts regarding potentially inappropriate treatment are among the topics covered. An essential resource for healthcare professionals working in critical care and those looking for a framework for the use of shared decision making in this setting.

Now in paperback, the second edition of the Oxford Textbook of Critical Care is a comprehensive multi-disciplinary text covering all aspects of adult intensive care management. Uniquely this text takes a problem-orientated approach providing a key resource for daily clinical issues in the intensive care unit. The text is organized into short topics allowing readers to rapidly access authoritative information on specific clinical problems. Each topic refers to basic physiological principles and provides up-to-date treatment advice supported by references to the most vital literature. Where international differences exist in clinical practice, authors cover alternative views. Key messages summarise each topic in order to aid quick review and decision making. Edited and written by an international group of recognized experts from many disciplines, the second edition of the Oxford Textbook of Critical Careprovides an up-to-date reference that is relevant for intensive care units and emergency departments globally. This volume is the definitive text for all health care providers, including physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other allied health professionals who take care of critically ill patients.

For patients and their loved ones, no care decisions are more profound than those made near the end of life. Unfortunately, the experience of dying in the United States is often characterized by fragmented care, inadequate treatment of distressing symptoms, frequent transitions among care settings, and enormous care responsibilities for families. According to this report, the current health care system of rendering more intensive services than are necessary and desired by patients, and the lack of coordination among programs increases risks to patients and creates avoidable burdens on them and their families. Dying in America is a study of the current state of health care for persons of all ages who are nearing the end of life. Death is not a strictly medical event. Ideally, health care for those nearing the end of life harmonizes with social, psychological, and spiritual support. All people with advanced illnesses who may be approaching the end of life are entitled to access to high-quality, compassionate, evidence-based care, consistent with their wishes. Dying in America evaluates strategies to integrate care into a person- and family-centered, team-based framework, and makes recommendations to create a system that coordinates care and supports and respects the choices of patients and their families. The findings and recommendations of this report will address the needs of patients and their families and assist policy makers, clinicians and their educational and credentialing bodies, leaders of health care delivery and financing organizations, researchers, public and private funders, religious and community leaders, advocates of better care, journalists, and the public to provide the best care possible for people nearing the end of life.

Neurocritical Care provides 'at the bedside' guidance on the medical knowledge and technical skills required to care for critically ill patients with neurologic conditions. Part of the Pittsburgh Critical Care Medicine series, this compact volume is an ideal reference for physicians and trainees working in either a general ICU or specialty Neuro ICU unit.

A high-yield board review and quick reference for Rehabilitation Medicine Rehabilitation Medicine Rapid Review is written primarily for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residents preparing for their board exams, and is also an excellent reference for practicing physicians who need a primer on this rapidly growing specialty. With content organized around the American board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation core curriculum, this powerful review is enhanced by more than 500 review questions and answers, and concise, bulleted, high-yield text. Readers will find quick answers to common and infrequent issues encountered in rehabilitation medicine

Patients today are more empowered and knowledgeable than they have ever been. By law, they must be told about the risks and benefits of proposed treatments and give informed consent before treatment is initiated. Through the democratization of medical information, they have access to peer-reviewed medical journals. Social media allows patients to share stories with others and to learn about other people's experiences with various treatments. There are websites written by experts at leading medical schools to help patients understand diseases and treatments. They have the right to see their medical records. The net result of all changes is a shift in the power balance between doctors and patients. Ideally, as a result of these shifts, the patients' values and preferences should guide treatment decisions. However, this proliferation of information often leads to confusion rather than clarity. Publicly available information often includes seemingly contradictory conclusions and recommendations. Patients don't know which opinions to trust. So, although patients have more information than ever, and many want to make decisions for themselves, they need more guidance than ever to help them process an avalanche of information. This volume aims to help both medical professionals and their patients navigate the evolving healthcare landscape by analyzing the process of shared decision-making (SDM) in clinical medicine. The concept of SDM has emerged in the last two decades as a middle ground between, on the one hand, old-fashinioned physician paternalism of the "doctor-knows-best" variety and, on the other hand, unfettered patient autonomy by which patients are thought capable of individually and independently choosing their own medical interventions. Advocates of SDM imagine that decisions will be made best if they follow a complex discussion and negotiation between doctor and patient; such discussions should incorporate the doctor's medical and technical expertise as well as the patient's goals, values, and preferences. SDM takes different forms for different patients in different clinical circumstances. This volume gathers experts in SDM to share their insights about how it ought to be done. The authors include clinicians, social scientist, and philosophers, all of whom have thought about or cared for patients from a variety of backgrounds and in a variety of clinical circumstances. The papers explore the complexity of SDM and offer practical guidance, gained from years of experience, about how to employ SDM as effectively as possible.