PARTNER II: Improving Patient and Family Centered Care in Advanced Critical Illness

PARTNER II: Improving Patient and Family Centered Care in Advanced Critical Illness
Project Period: 07/01/2015 - 12/31/2018 PI: Douglas White, MD, MAS                     
Funding Source: NIH/NINR R01

Previously researchers developed the PARTNER program (PAiring Re-engineered ICU Teams with Nurse-driven Education and OutReach), a 4-facet, team-based intervention that re-engineers how surrogates* are supported in ICUs. In this phase of the program, researchers expect to achieve the following:

1. To increase the patient-centeredness of end-of-life decisions, and to increase the quality of clinician-family communication.

2. To decrease the psychological burden on family members acting as surrogates.

3. Lower costs by reduceing total health care costs by increasing the use of palliative care and hospice services and decreasing unwanted readmissions near the end of life.

In follow-up to PARTNER and PARTNER II Programs, UPMC funded a research study to assess health care quality and health outcomes as a result of these interventions. 

*Not all surrogates are caregivers, and not all caregivers will find themselves in the role of a surrogate decision maker for their friend or loved one.