Asia Ventilation Forum
The Asia Ventilation Forum (AVF) is a not-for-profit organisation comprising members from different Asian countries. We share our knowledge and experience in respiratory care and critical care with intensive care unit (ICU) workers across the continent with the aim of improving care and outcomes for the critically ill. There are two AVF Podcast series. "Behind-The-Scenes ICU Stories" invites colleagues to share anything and everything on their personal experiences. Expect heart-to-heart discussions on topics that may or may not have been widely described in the medical literature. "The Challenges of Airway Management During the Pandemic" invites colleagues to share anything and everything on how they deal with various clinical situations. Expect discussions on how experts personalise evidence-based medicine for the patient at the bedside. These Podcasts are hosted by Dr Jason Phua, respiratory physician and intensivist at Alexandra Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore, and Dr Jose Emmanuel Palo, intensivist at The Medical City, the Philippines.
Asia Ventilation Forum
Patient autonomy at the end of life in Asian ICUs: Professor Younsuck Koh
•
Season 1
•
Episode 4
Patient autonomy at the end of life in Asian ICUs: Professor Younsuck Koh
In this AVF Podcast: Behind-The-Scenes ICU Stories episode, Professor Younsuck Koh shares his thoughts on patient autonomy at the end of life in Asian intensive care units (ICUs). Professor Koh is an intensivist and respiratory physician at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea. He was previously President of the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine (KSCCM), Chair of the Asian Critical Care Clinical Trials (ACCCT) Group, and Chair of the Asia Ventilation Forum (AVF).
Issues discussed in this interview:
- Challenges of upholding patient autonomy at the end of life in Asian ICUs
- How clinicians, the public, and governments can work together to improve communication regarding end-of-life issues
- Specific strategies by clinicians to improve how we care for patients at the end of life or where clinical futility is present
Work cited:
- Phua J, Joynt GM, Nishimura M, et al. Withholding and withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments in intensive care units in Asia. JAMA Intern Med 2015;175:363-71.