Authors: Choo Hwee Poi, Hwee Sing Khoo, Shih-Ling Ang, Mervyn Yong Hwang Koh, Allyn Yin Mei Hum

Published in: BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care. Published online: 23 Jan 2023. DOI: 10.1136/spcare-2022-003789.

1. Integrating palliative care into ICU enhanced team work, strengthened interprofessional collaboration by bridging care and communication between interprofessional teams across care settings beyond the ICU. This integration could catalyse a positive “cultural shift” with attitudinal changes and practices in caring for the dying.
2. A sustainable mixed model of care between the ICU-Palliative care disciplines could create opportunities to strengthen interprofessional relationships and bridge challenging care transitions.
3. Quality of end-of-life care in the ICU can be enhanced through empowering interprofessional teams and families in advocating for patients’ wishes, enhancing communications amongst team members, increasing frequency of interactions through joint meetings and discussions, enhancing shared-decision making and task interdependence and upskilling ICU teams in providing holistic care.