Center to Advance Palliative Care

"What are the goals of care" is the fundamental question that needs to be asked wherever the patient is. In the ICU, it seems that the plan of care gets a life of its own and treatments are initiated because they can be, not necessarily because goals have been established. The goals of care discussion then leads into a discussion about the benefits and burdens of resuscitation. Palliative care can often be the stimulus and facilitator of these discussions in the ICU. Sharol Herr, RN, MSEd; Nurse Clinician/Education Coordinator; Mt. Carmel Health Palliative Care Leadership Center; Columbus, Ohio.