Abstract
Terminal lucidity is an unpredictable end-of-life experience that has invaluable implications in preparation for death. We retrospectively evaluated terminal lucidity at a university teaching hospital. Of 338 deaths that occurred during the study period (187 in the ICU and 151 in general wards), terminal lucidity was identified in 6 cases in general wards. Periods of lucidity ranged from several hours to 4 days. After experiencing terminal lucidity, half of the patients died within a week, and the remainder died within 9 days. More attention should be directed toward understanding terminal lucidity to improve end-of-life care in a meaningful way.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 285-291 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Death Studies |
Volume | 44 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 3 May 2020 |
Keywords
- death
- dying
- end-of-life experiences
- teaching hospital
- terminal lucidity