Finding comfort in end-of-life care.

It is a reality of the discipline of respiratory therapy that most practitioners will be directly involved in the removal of ventilatory support as part of end-of-life care in the intensive care unit. In light of the frequency of this event, the sensitive nature of the process, and the potential for moral distress in caregivers involved in withdrawal of life support, it is appropriate that increasing attention has been paid to the important role of the respiratory therapist (RT) in end-of-life care.1-4 Furthermore, it is apparent that a need exists for education in end-of-life care for RTs, both in the training curriculum and in continuing education.2,3 I would add that there is also a need for education of the critical care physician, nurse, and other services in the intensive care unit as to the valuable role of RTs in this final phase of a patient’s critical care.