The Essentials of Compassionate End-of-life Care in the Intensive Care Unit: Lessons from the Harish Rana Case

Over the last two decades, many legal developments and professional recommendations notwithstanding, end-of-life practice on the ground is limited by physician hesitancy, lack of commitment to ensure appropriateness in decision-making, persistent fear of legal liability, and inadequate attention to quality of dying.This commentary attempts to spell out the salient messages in the recent Harish Rana vs Union of India judgment and reiterates the essential components of end-of-life care (EOLC) in intensive care unit (ICU) practice.Thoughtful and compassionate care is integral to critical care practice.