Improving communication and cost-effectiveness in the intensive care unit through palliative care: a review of literature.

Therefore, it should be a priority of healthcare providers to incorporate palliative care services into thecare they provide patients and families in the ICU.Palliative care is not just the care provided to patientsand families when the decision is made to withdraw orwithhold life support. It includes a much broader compo-nent of care such as pain management, identifying goalsof care, and patient/family-centered decision making.