[Preliminary experience with the introduction of life-sustaining treatment limitation in the electronic clinical record]

Abstract

Life-sustaining treatment limitation (LSTL) is an increasingly common practice. However, its application is sometimes not clearly reflected in the clinical record-this giving rise to the adoption of measures that could have been avoided, including admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), with the suffering and economical costs this implies. One way to trace patients subjected to LSTL is through an electronic registry allowing identification at all times of these individuals, and of the therapies that have been restricted in each case. The Ethics Committee of our center has developed a tool allowing the identification of patients subjected to LSTL and of the level of intervention required, and offering the association of a patient comfort management protocol.