Educational agendas for interdisciplinary end-of-life curricula

The importance of an interdisciplinary end-of-life curricula for the intens ive care unit is now recognized. Educational agendas for interdisciplinary end-of-life curricula are being developed across the United States. However , the limited database on palliative care education precludes evidence-base d recommendations. Through a case-based approach, the need for an interdisc iplinary team is explored, including the definition of an interdisciplinary team and the step-wise incorporation of specific members, such as physicia ns, nurses, social workers, and the chaplain, as patient care evolves. Core competencies for end-of-rife care are enumerated including the approaches to end-of-life care, ethical and legal constraints, symptom management, spe cific end-of-life syndromes/palliative crises, and development of communica tion skills for trusting relationships. Finally, four phases of ICU managem ent of curative and comfort care are proposed: phase I, focus on checklist for transfer; phase II, focus on life-saving treatments; phase ill, focus o n the "whole" patient; and phase IV, focus on palliative care.