End-of-Life Communication Helps Families Cope With Loss

Just 10 extra minutes with health-care providers reduced stress and depression, study finds

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

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WEDNESDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthDay News) -- When doctors spent 10 minutes more than usual listening to the families of people dying in the intensive care unit and provided them with a brochure on bereavement, those family members were far less likely to suffer from stress, anxiety or depression after the death of their loved one.

That's the conclusion of a new French study published in the Feb. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study authors found that when doctors approached grieving families and took more time to listen, they could reduce stress symptoms by 24 percent, anxiety symptoms by 22 percent and depression symptoms by 27 percent.

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"This randomized controlled trial shows that a proactive communication strategy is efficient to alleviate symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression in relatives of critically ill, dying patients," said the study's lead author, Dr. Elie Azoulay, assistant director of the medical intensive-care unit at Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris.

Having a family member in the ICU is very stressful on family members, particularly since their loved ones often can't speak, according to background information for the study. An end-of-life conference, in which family members meet with the ICU team, has become standard in many medical centers. But this practice hadn't been evaluated in a randomized, controlled trial, according to the study authors.

For the new study, the researchers enrolled the family members of 126 dying ICU patients from 22 intensive-care units in France. Half of the family members participated in a standard end-of-life conference, which generally lasts about 20 minutes. The other half participated in a more proactive, longer-lasting -- about 30 minutes -- end-of-life conference, during which they were encouraged to ask questions and voice concerns, and they were provided a bereavement brochure at the end of the session.

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