Fiche publication
Date publication
décembre 2017
Journal
Annals of translational medicine
Auteurs
Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Dr MEUNIER-BEILLARD Nicolas
Tous les auteurs :
Quenot JP, Ecarnot F, Meunier-Beillard N, Dargent A, Eraldi JP, Bougerol F, Large A, Andreu P, Rigaud JP
Lien Pubmed
Résumé
Two essential components of the profession of a medical doctor are the constant review of the patient's therapeutic project, and collaboration between healthcare professionals. The profession of intensive care unit (ICU) physician goes further in terms of responsibility, vis-à-vis the intensive treatments dispensed to the patients, and the physician's responsibilities towards the patient's family and the caregiving team, also bearing in mind that ICU care is costly in terms of human and financial resources. In this review, we address the profession of ICU physician from the perspective of the ethical questions that arise constantly, focusing on the timeframe of the reflection process. Firstly, admission to the ICU must be anticipated. The concept of advance care planning is a suitable tool for this, and in case of non-admission to the ICU, does not by any means constitute an abandonment of the patient, because palliative care can also be anticipated, with a view to avoiding suffering for the patient and their family. Next, during an ICU stay, while the technical aspects undoubtedly characterise the ICU best at the start of the patient's stay, the process of reflection rapidly becomes preponderant, and involves the analysis of often complex situations with a view to defining the level of therapeutic engagement and optimizing the care dispensed to the patient. Last, a further ethical issue concerns the decision to re-admit (or not) a patient to the ICU. This decision can be made, for example, in the framework of a systematic, formalised, structured, multidisciplinary meeting at the end of an ICU stay, using a similar procedure to that implemented for decisions relating to withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies. The profession of ICU physician is not simply a question of prolonging or sustaining life, but is also fraught with ethical questions about how best to employ their competences. In this regard, it is essential to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and emphasise the need for ICU physicians to be involved in the development of therapeutic projects, particularly when the disease in question is likely to be complicated by acute situations that may require admission of the patient to the ICU.
Mots clés
Intensive care unit (ICU), ethics, intensive care specialist
Référence
Ann Transl Med. 2017 Dec;5(Suppl 4):S47
