Communication, Shared Decision-making and Goals of Care in the ICU through Electronic Health Records: A Scoping Review.

Introduction: The care of critically ill patients involves communication and shared decision-making with families and determination of goals of care. Analyzing these aspects through electronic health records (EHRs) can support research in ICUs, associating them with outcomes. This review aims to explore studies that examine these topics.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted through a systematic literature search of articles in PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases using MESH terms up to 2024, conducted in ICU settings, focusing on communication with families, shared decision-making, goals, and end-of-life care.

Results: A total of 10 articles were included, divided into themes: Records and family, and records in quality improvement projects. Variables based on records with common characteristics were identified. Outcome analysis was performed through questionnaires to family members, healthcare professionals or by analyzing care processes. The studies revealed associations between family members' perceptions and mental health symptoms and documented elements such as communication, therapeutic limitations, social and spiritual support. Studies evaluating quality communication improvement projects did not show significant impact on documented care, except for those that assessed improvements based on palliative care.

Conclusion: The analysis of documented care for critically ill patients can be conducted from various perspectives. Processes amenable to improvement, such as communication with family members, definition of goals of care, limitations, shared decision-making, evaluated through EHRs, are associated with mental health symptoms and perceptions of families of critically ill patients. Documentation-based studies can contribute to improvements in patient- and family-centered care in the ICU.

How to cite this article: de Aquino VW, da Silveira GF, Boniatti MM, Terres MS. Communication, Shared Decision-making and Goals of Care in the ICU through Electronic Health Records: A Scoping Review. Indian J Crit Care Med 2024;28(10):977-987.