Critical Care Outreach Team Nurses' Roles in End-of-Life Discussions

Critical Care Outreach Team (CCOT) nurses are part of hospital emergency response teams, assessing and mobilizing resources for decompensating patients. Although a significant proportion of this role involves addressing end-of-life (EOL) issues, this role is ill-defined in the literature and in practice. The purpose of this interpretive descriptive study is to explore CCOT nurses’ involvement in EOL discussions. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 participants across hospitals in Ontario. Thematic analysis identified six themes: the relational nature of the CCOT nurse role, acquiring skills to discuss EOL, impetus for CCOT nurse involvement, dynamic approaches to EOL discussions, the impact of CCOT nurse involvement, and “doing better”. Study findings point towards potential implications for educational, organizational practice, and policy strategies to support CCOT nurses engaging in EOL discussions.