For hospitalized patients whose death is imminent, palliative care can alleviate distressing symptoms that are common during the last few days or weeks of life. The essentials of such care that are presented in this review are intended to provide both generalists and specialists in fields other than palliative care with a practical, evidence-based approach to alleviating these symptoms in patients who are dying in a hospital. Communication skills that are essential to personalized care and goal setting are described briefly; the alleviation of the psychosocial and spiritual suffering that is often faced by terminally ill patients and their families is addressed only incidentally. The term “comfort care” is used here to describe a set of the most basic palliative care interventions that provide immediate relief of symptoms in a patient who is very close to death. Typically, these measures are used to achieve comfort for the patient rapidly; diagnostic or therapeutic maneuvers that might be appropriate for palliation in earlier stages of the illness are usually not considered in this context. Many elements of this approach can be used to ease patients’ distress in other phases of a life-threatening illness and in nonhospital settings, and they can also be applied to relieve symptoms in patients with less grave conditions. The Need for Comfort-Care Skills in Hospital Practice Although a growing proportion of deaths in the United States now occur at home or in nursing homes, hospitals remain a major site for end-of-life care; in 2010, 29% of deaths occurred in the hospital, and the average terminal admission lasted 7.9 days.1 Multiple distressing symptoms affect hospitalized patients who have advanced, life-threatening illnesses,2,3 and some of these symptoms worsen as the patient approaches death.4 Poorly controlled symptoms have been documented in patients with advanced cancer, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and many other life-threatening conditions.5,6 The meticulous management of distressing symptoms is important in any phase of illness, but it becomes a primary focus near the end of life.7 Palliative care services can reduce the distress caused by symptoms and improve the quality of life of patients near the end of life.8 However, the current scarcity of board-certified palliative care specialists — a workforce shortage that is projected to continue far into the future — means that the responsibility for ensuring excellent end-of-life care for dying patients will continue to fall primarily on generalists and on specialists in areas other than palliative care.9,10 Thus, familiarity with basic comfort measures is an essential skill for all clinicians who are caring for patients whose death is imminent.
Table 1. Guidelines for Physicians in Discussing Values, Goals, and Preferences with Patients Near the End of Life.*
If possible, begin these conversations early in the illness, rather than waiting until a medical crisis occurs or until death is imminent. Revisit these discussions when the patient’s condition changes substantially. Ask the patient about his or her understanding of the current medical situation and about additional diagnostic and therapeutic options. Assess the patient’s and family’s information-sharing preferences. What kinds of information do they wish to have, what would they prefer not to know, and who should be involved in discussions about the patient’s care? Similarly, ask about their preferences for decision making. How should important decisions be handled? Will key decisions be made by the patient, family members, or the clinician, or will the decisions be made collaboratively? Answer questions as clearly as possible and provide simple, clear, jargon-free information about the patient’s condition, prognosis, and options for treatment. Clarify any misconceptions the patient or family may have. In general, patients cannot make good decisions about their care without some understanding of their prognosis. Inquire about and address the patient’s concerns. For example, ask, “What are your main worries or fears about your situation?” Ensure that attention is paid to the patient’s comfort. Ask about “unacceptable states” — that is, states of existence or losses of critical functioning that a given patient wants to avoid (e.g., a state in which mechanical ventilation would be required indefinitely or in which the patient would be unable to communicate meaningfully with family members). After the patient has been informed about the situation and prognosis, discuss and clarify the patient’s values, goals, and preferences for care. With this shared knowledge about goals for care, recommend a plan for end-of-life care. The clinician should not simply ask, “What do you want?” nor should the clinician offer to use harmful or nonbeneficial treatments (e.g., cardiopulmonary resuscitation that will almost certainly be unsuccessful and will not serve the patie