Palliative sedation: from the family perspective

Abstract

Palliative sedation (PS) is a treatment option in case of refractory symptoms at the end of life. The emotional impact on nurses and doctors has been widely studied. We explore the experience of family members during a PS procedure.

Method: An anonymous questionnaire was sent to the closest family members (n = 17) of patients who died while receiving palliative sedation.

Results: The response rate was 59% (10 of 17). Nine relatives were sufficiently informed about PS. In all, 70% evaluated the chosen moment for initiation of PS as adequate. All the relatives noticed a significant improvement in the refractory symptom with a mean reduction in the estimated suffering of 6.25 points on a visual analog scale.

Conclusions: Palliative sedation should be performed in the best possible way for the patient and his family in order to efficiently reduce a refractory symptom.

Keywords: emotional distress; family experience; information; palliative sedation; personal suffering; refractory symptom.