New SCCM Guidelines on End-of-Life Care in the ICU - Use Decision Aids

In late 2025, the Society of Critical Care Medicine issued "Clinical Practice Guidelines on Adult End-of-Life Care in the ICU." They make 13 recommendations. Notably, three of these focus on tools are resources for educating patients and surrogates.  

 

1.1. We suggest using structured tools to facilitate shared decision-making for EOL treatment decisions in the ICU. (Remark: While there is no single ideal tool to use, evidence those studied in the ICU setting include communication facilitators; structured meeting plans; and paper/web-based decision aids.) 

1.2a. We suggest ICUs develop resources for educating substitute decision-makers on their role in making decisions on behalf of decisionally incapable patients.

3.3. We suggest clinicians provide educational interventions to patients/families/surrogates at risk of ICU admission to improve their understanding of ICU and EOL treatment options, realistic treatment outcomes, and advance care planning.