A favorable course of palliative sedation: searching for indicators using caregivers' perspectives.

OBJECTIVE Comparing characteristics of a favorable sedation course during palliative sedation to a less favorable course based on the reports Dutch physicians and nurses. RESULTS Cases identified as having a favorable sedation course less often concerned a male patient (P = .019 nurses' cases), reached the intended sedation depth significantly quicker (P < .05 both nurses and physicians' cases), reached a deeper level of sedation (P = .015 physicians' cases), and had a shorter total duration of sedation compared (P < .001 physicians' cases) to patients with a less favorable sedation course. CONCLUSIONS A favorable course during palliative sedation seems more probable when health care professionals report on a (relatively) shorter time to reach the required depth of sedation and when a deeper level of sedation can be obtained.