Abstract P310: Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Stroke Care at the University of Rochester Medical Center

Introduction: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic response on medical care for stroke is unknown.

Methods: We used local “Get With The Guidelines” stroke data for patients with ischemic stroke (IS), transient ischemic attack (TIA), and intracerebral hemorrhage/subarachnoid hemorrhage (ICH/SAH) from March 20–April 14, 2020 (study period) and January 1–March 19, 2020 (control period #1) and March 20–April 14, 2019 (control period #2). We examined daily admission rates, transfers, tPA administration, thrombectomy, and time from last well to hospital arrival.

Results: There were 349 patients (n=40 study period, n=225 control period #1, n=84 control period #2); 263 with IS, 37 with TIA, and 49 with ICH/SAH. Overall, 46% were female, 82% white, with median age 70 years (IQR 58-82 years).

Daily admission rates were 1.4 IS/day for the study period compared to 2.1 IS/day (Incident rate ratio [IRR] 1.49 95% CI 1.05-2.13, p=0.027) and 2.2 IS/day (IRR 1.57 1.04-2.37, p=0.033) for control periods #1 and #2 ( Table ), respectively. There was only one admission for TIA in the study period compared to approximately one every 4 days in control period #1 (IRR 7.2 95% CI 1.0-53.7, p=0.053) and one every 2 days in control period #2 (IRR 14.0 95% CI 1.8-106.5, p=0.011). ICH/SAH admissions were fewer in the study period. Transfers were less common with approximately one transfer every four days in the study period compared to one each day of the control periods. Rates of tPA, thrombectomy, and time from last well to first hospital contact did not differ across the epochs.

Conclusions: Our data suggest the COVID-19 pandemic response has led to reduced admission volumes for all stroke types in the University of Rochester Medical Center catchment area, partly due to decreases in hospital transfers. These data raise the question whether fewer patients sought care for stroke symptoms at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seven-Year Experience From the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke-Supported Network for Excellence in Neuroscience Clinical Trials

Importance

One major advantage of developing large, federally funded networks for clinical research in neurology is the ability to have a trial-ready network that can efficiently conduct scientifically rigorous projects to improve the health of people with neurologic disorders.

Observations

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Network for Excellence in Neuroscience Clinical Trials (NeuroNEXT) was established in 2011 and renewed in 2018 with the goal of being an efficient network to test between 5 and 7 promising new agents in phase II clinical trials. A clinical coordinating center, data coordinating center, and 25 sites were competitively chosen. Common infrastructure was developed to accelerate timelines for clinical trials, including central institutional review board (a first for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke), master clinical trial agreements, the use of common data elements, and experienced research sites and coordination centers. During the first 7 years, the network exceeded the goal of conducting 5 to 7 studies, with 9 funded. High interest was evident by receipt of 148 initial applications for potential studies in various neurologic disorders. Across the first 8 studies (the ninth study was funded at end of initial funding period), the central institutional review board approved the initial protocol in a mean (SD) of 59 (21) days, and additional sites were added a mean (SD) of 22 (18) days after submission. The median time from central institutional review board approval to first site activation was 47.5 days (mean, 102.1; range, 1-282) and from first site activation to first participant consent was 27 days (mean, 37.5; range, 0-96). The median time for database readiness was 3.5 months (mean, 4.0; range, 0-8) from funding receipt. In the 4 completed studies, enrollment met or exceeded expectations with 96% overall data accuracy across all sites. Nine peer-reviewed manuscripts were published, and 22 oral presentations or posters and 9 invited presentations were given at regional, national, and international meetings.

Conclusions and Relevance

NeuroNEXT initiated 8 studies, successfully enrolled participants at or ahead of schedule, collected high-quality data, published primary results in high-impact journals, and provided mentorship, expert statistical, and trial management support to several new investigators. Partnerships were successfully created between government, academia, industry, foundations, and patient advocacy groups. Clinical trial consortia can efficiently and successfully address a range of important neurologic research and therapeutic questions.

Proceedings from the Neurotherapeutics Symposium on Neurological Emergencies: Shaping the Future of Neurocritical Care

Effective treatment options for patients with life-threatening neurological disorders are limited. To address this unmet need, high-impact translational research is essential for the advancement and development of novel therapeutic approaches in neurocritical care. "The Neurotherapeutics Symposium 2019-Neurological Emergencies" conference, held in Rochester, New York, in June 2019, was designed to accelerate translation of neurocritical care research via transdisciplinary team science and diversity enhancement. Diversity excellence in the neuroscience workforce brings innovative and creative perspectives, and team science broadens the scientific approach by incorporating views from multiple stakeholders. Both are essential components needed to address complex scientific questions. Under represented minorities and women were involved in the organization of the conference and accounted for 30-40% of speakers, moderators, and attendees. Participants represented a diverse group of stakeholders committed to translational research. Topics discussed at the conference included acute ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, neurogenic respiratory dysregulation, seizures and status epilepticus, brain telemetry, neuroprognostication, disorders of consciousness, and multimodal monitoring. In these proceedings, we summarize the topics covered at the conference and suggest the groundwork for future high-yield research in neurologic emergencies.

Medicare Shared Savings Program and readmission rate among patients with ischemic stroke

OBJECTIVE

Hospitals participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) share with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) the savings generated by reduced cost of care. Our aim was to determine whether MSSP is associated with changes in readmissions and mortality for Medicare patients hospitalized with ischemic stroke, and whether MSSP has a different impact on safety net hospitals (SNHs) compared to non-SNHs.

METHODS

This study was based on the CMS Hospital Compare data for risk-standardized 30-day readmission and mortality rates for Medicare patients hospitalized with ischemic strokes between 2010 and 2017. With a propensity score-matched sample, hospital-level difference-in-difference analysis was used to determine whether MSSP was associated with changes in hospital readmission and mortality as well as to examine the impact of MSSP on SNHs compared to non-SNHs.

RESULTS

MSSP-participating hospitals had slightly greater reductions in readmission rates compared to matched nonparticipating hospitals (difference, 0.25 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.42 to -0.08). Mortality rates decreased among all hospitals, but mortality reduction was not significantly different between MSSP-participating hospitals and matched hospitals (difference, 0.06 percentage points; 95% CI, -0.28 to 0.17). Prior to MSSP, readmission rates in SNHs were higher compared to non-SNHs, but MSSP did not have significantly different impact on hospital readmission and mortality rates for SNHs and non-SNHs.

CONCLUSION

MSSP led to slightly fewer readmissions without increases in mortality for Medicare patients hospitalized with ischemic stroke. Similar reductions in readmission rates were observed in SNHs and non-SNHs participating in MSSP, indicating persistent gaps between SNHs and non-SNHs.

A Virtual Cohort Study of Individuals at Genetic Risk for Parkinson's Disease: Study Protocol and Design

Background:

The rise of direct-to-consumer genetic testing has enabled many to learn of their possible increased risk for rare diseases, some of which may be suitable for gene-targeted therapies. However, recruiting a large and representative population for rare diseases or genetically defined sub-populations of common diseases is slow, difficult, and expensive.

Objective:

To assess the feasibility of recruiting and retaining a cohort of individuals who carry a genetic mutation linked to Parkinson’s disease (G2019S variant of LRRK2); to characterize this cohort relative to the characteristics of traditional, in-person studies; and to evaluate this model’s ability to create an engaged study cohort interested in future clinical trials of gene-directed therapies.

Methods:

This single-site,3-year national longitudinal observational study will recruit between 250 to 350 LRRK2 carriers without Parkinson’s disease and approximately 50 with the condition. Participants must have undergone genetic testing by the personal genetics company, 23andMe, Inc., have knowledge of their carrier status, and consent to be contacted for research studies. All participants undergo standardized assessments, including video-based cognitive and motor examination, and complete patient-reported outcomes on an annual basis.

Results:

263 individuals living in 33 states have enrolled. The cohort has a mean (SD) age of 56.0 (15.9) years, 59% are female, and 76% are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. 233 have completed the baseline visit: 47 with self-reported Parkinson’s disease and 186 without.

Conclusions:

This study establishes a promising model for developing a geographically dispersed and well-characterized cohort ready for participation in future clinical trials of gene-directed therapies.

Delirium disorder

Objective

As the US population ages and with no definitive delirium treatments on the horizon, the delirium epidemic is on course to expand over the coming decades. Recognizing the import of this condition, a recent position statement from 10 medical societies—among whom the American Academy of Neurology was represented—issued recommendations on preferred nomenclature of delirium and acute encephalopathy: it concluded by preferring both terms. Urgently needed is an integrated model that addresses the near-total segregation of these separate bodies of literature, ideally one that offers an interdisciplinary framework to bring these 2 terms and those who use them together.

Methods

We review the historical forces that have led these terms to diverge and consider the unique benefits of each approach as well as their liabilities when considered in isolation. We then explore the potential implications of integrating these concepts and propose a hybrid model to capitalize on the strengths of both the model of delirium and that of acute encephalopathy.

Results

The model we propose—delirium disorder—builds on the recommendations of this recent position statement and provides a unifying framework designed to have clinical utility and interdisciplinary appeal. It also broadens the translational landscape by identifying 4 distinct treatment targets: underlying causes, procognitive factors, delirium (phenotype alone), and neurophysiologic targets.

Conclusions

This person-centered model aims to integrate delirium and acute encephalopathy within a single framework and shared nomenclature. It is hoped that this model aids in harmonizing research efforts and advancing clinical practice.

Concerns of surrogate decision makers for patients with acute brain injury: A US population survey

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether groups of surrogates for patients with severe acute brain injury (SABI) with poor prognosis can be identified based on their prioritization of goals-of-care (GOC) decisional concerns, an online survey of 1,588 adults recruited via a probability-based panel representative of the US population was conducted.

METHODS

Participants acted as a surrogate for a GOC decision for a hypothetical patient with SABI and were randomized to 1 of 2 prognostic scenarios: the patient likely being left with a range of severe functional disability (SD) or remaining in a vegetative state (VS). Participants prioritized a list of 12 decisional concerns via best-worst scaling. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to discover decisional groups.

RESULTS

The completion rate was 44.6%; data weighting was conducted to mitigate nonresponse bias. For 792 SD respondents, LCA revealed 4 groups. All groups shared concerns regarding respecting patient wishes and minimizing suffering. The 4 groups were otherwise distinguished by unique concerns that their members highlighted: an older adult remaining severely disabled (34.4%), family consensus (26.4%), doubt regarding prognostic accuracy (20.7%), and cost of long-term care (18.6%). For the 796 VS respondents, LCA revealed 5 groups. Four of the 5 groups had similar concern profiles to the 4 SD groups. The largest (29.0%) expressed the most prognostic doubt. An additional group (15.8%) prioritized religious concerns.

CONCLUSIONS

Although surrogate decision makers for patients with SABI are concerned with respecting patient wishes and minimizing suffering, certain groups highly prioritize other specific decisional factors. These data can help inform future interventions for supporting decision makers.

Common Data Elements for Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms and Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Recommendations from the Working Group on Hospital Course and Acute Therapies-Proposal of a Multidisciplinary Research Group

INTRODUCTION

The Common Data Elements (CDEs) initiative is a National Institute of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) effort to standardize naming, definitions, data coding, and data collection for observational studies and clinical trials in major neurological disorders. A working group of experts was established to provide recommendations for Unruptured Aneurysms and Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) CDEs.

METHODS

This paper summarizes the recommendations of the Hospital Course and Acute Therapies after SAH working group. Consensus recommendations were developed by assessment of previously published CDEs for traumatic brain injury, stroke, and epilepsy. Unruptured aneurysm- and SAH-specific CDEs were also developed. CDEs were categorized into "core", "supplemental-highly recommended", "supplemental" and "exploratory".

RESULTS

We identified and developed CDEs for Hospital Course and Acute Therapies after SAH, which included: surgical and procedure interventions; rescue therapy for delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI); neurological complications (i.e. DCI; hydrocephalus; rebleeding; seizures); intensive care unit therapies; prior and concomitant medications; electroencephalography; invasive brain monitoring; medical complications (cardiac dysfunction; pulmonary edema); palliative comfort care and end of life issues; discharge status. The CDEs can be found at the NINDS Web site that provides standardized naming, and definitions for each element, and also case report form templates, based on the CDEs.

CONCLUSION

Most of the recommended Hospital Course and Acute Therapies CDEs have been newly developed. Adherence to these recommendations should facilitate data collection and data sharing in SAH research, which could improve the comparison of results across observational studies, clinical trials, and meta-analyses of individual patient data.

Palliative care and Parkinson's disease: outpatient needs and models of care over the disease trajectory

A palliative approach to care is person-centered and aims to minimize overall disease burden among patients with serious illnesses. There is rising interest in the role of palliative care to improve quality of life among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). While there is a clear indication for palliative care involvement in those with advanced disease, there is also increasing evidence for the role palliative care may play earlier in the course of PD. However, optimal methods for timing and implementation of these services remain unclear. Here, we aim to explore the palliative needs of individuals with PD from the time of diagnosis over the entire course of the illness. We discuss methods for delivering palliative care services including consultative specialty palliative care, neurologist or primary care-delivered palliative care (primary palliative care), and the emerging specialty of neuropalliative care. We also explore novel care delivery methods and their role in improving patient access to palliative services. We argue that primary palliative care is optimally positioned for the delivery of palliative care for the majority of patients with PD over the course of their illness and explore how and when palliative medicine or neuropalliative specialists can supplement this care. Finally, we describe gaps in our current understanding of outpatient palliative care delivery among the PD population including the development of better methods to identify the palliative needs of patients, the validation of novel care delivery mechanisms, and the need to enhance neurologists' and other medical providers' education in the provision of palliative care services.

Symptom burden among individuals with Parkinson disease: A national survey

Objective

To explore disease burden in Parkinson disease (PD) by evaluating the prevalence of symptoms and key disease milestones (critical events, e.g., hospitalization or frequent falls) and their association with quality of life (QOL) in those with PD.

Methods

We created and pretested an online needs assessment survey to evaluate the clinical characteristics, QOL, symptom prevalence, and critical event frequency among those with PD. We recruited individuals with self-reported Hoehn and Yahr stage II-V PD through online postings and email through the Davis Phinney Foundation. We used logistic regression to evaluate the association between a large number of uncontrolled symptoms and events on QOL.

Results

A total of 612 individuals (mean age 70.1 years, 49.8% women) completed the survey. Among respondents, 13.6% reported poor QOL. Nearly 20% of respondents reported >3 falls, and 15% of respondents had been hospitalized over the previous 6 months. Participants had an average of 5.1 uncontrolled symptoms, with 86.1% of respondents reporting at least 1 uncontrolled symptom; more than 10% of respondents reported >10 uncontrolled symptoms. Depression, confusion, pain, and bothersome hallucinations were associated with poor QOL among the cohort.

Conclusions

In this national survey of individuals with PD, we identified poor QOL, frequent critical events, and numerous uncontrolled symptoms among a substantial proportion of respondents. Although motor symptoms were common, only nonmotor symptoms were associated with poor QOL. Many of these symptoms and events are treatable or preventable, highlighting the need for better identification and management to improve QOL among those with PD.

Post-acute care discharge delays for neurology inpatients: Opportunity to improve patient flow

Background

Hospital stays for patients discharged to post-acute care are longer and more costly than routine discharges. Issues disrupting patient flow from hospital to post-acute care facilities are an underrecognized strain on hospital resources. We sought to quantify the burden of medically unnecessary hospital days for inpatients with neurologic illness and planned discharge to post-acute care facilities.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective evaluation of hospital discharge delays for patients with neurologic disease and plans for discharge to post-acute care. We identified 100 sequential hospital admissions to an academic neurology inpatient service that were medically ready for discharge from December 4, 2017, to January 25, 2018. For each patient, we quantified the number of medically unnecessary hospital days, or all days in the hospital following the determination of medical discharge readiness.

Results

Among 100 patients medically ready for discharge with plans for post-acute care disposition (47 female, mean age 72.5 years, mean length of stay 12.3 days), 50 patients were planned for discharge to skilled nursing, 37 to acute rehabilitation, 10 to hospice/palliative care, and 3 to other facilities. There was a total of 1,226 patient-days, and 480 patient-days (39%) occurred following medical readiness for discharge. Medically unnecessary days ranged from 0 to 80 days per patient (mean 4.8, median 2.5, interquartile range 1-5 days).

Conclusion

Unnecessary hospital days represent a large burden for patients with neurologic illness requiring post-acute care on discharge. These discharge delays present an opportunity to improve hospital-wide patient flow.

Neuropalliative care: Priorities to move the field forward

Neuropalliative care is an emerging subspecialty in neurology and palliative care. On April 26, 2017, we convened a Neuropalliative Care Summit with national and international experts in the field to develop a clinical, educational, and research agenda to move the field forward. Clinical priorities included the need to develop and implement effective models to integrate palliative care into neurology and to develop and implement informative quality measures to evaluate and compare palliative approaches. Educational priorities included the need to improve the messaging of palliative care and to create standards for palliative care education for neurologists and neurology education for palliative specialists. Research priorities included the need to improve the evidence base across the entire research spectrum from early-stage interventional research to implementation science. Highest priority areas include focusing on outcomes important to patients and families, developing serious conversation triggers, and developing novel approaches to patient and family engagement, including improvements to decision quality. As we continue to make remarkable advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of neurologic illness, neurologists will face an increasing need to guide and support patients and families through complex choices involving immense uncertainty and intensely important outcomes of mind and body. This article outlines opportunities to improve the quality of care for all patients with neurologic illness and their families through a broad range of clinical, educational, and investigative efforts that include complex symptom management, communication skills, and models of care.

Increasing Efficiency of Recruitment in Early Parkinson's Disease Trials: A Case Study Examination of the STEADY-PD III Trial

Background:

Challenges in clinical trial recruitment threaten the successful development of improved therapies. This is particularly true in Parkinson’s disease (PD) studies of disease modification where the population of interest is difficult to find and study design is more complex.

Objective:

This paper seeks to understand how STEADY PD III, a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) funded phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy of isradipine as a disease modifying agent for PD, was able to recruit their full target population 6 months ahead of schedule.

Methods:

STEADY PD III aimed to enroll 336 individuals with early stage idiopathic PD within 18 months using 57 sites across the United States and Canada. The study included a 10% NIH minority recruitment goal. Eligible participants agreed to be followed for up to 36 months, complete 12 in-person visits and 4 telephone visits. A Recruitment Committee of key stakeholders was critical in the development of a comprehensive recruitment strategy involving: multi-modal outreach, protocol modifications and comprehensive site selection and activation. Efforts to increase site-specific minority recruitment strategies were encouraged through additional funding.

Results:

A total of 336 individuals, including 34 minorities, were enrolled within 12 months – 6 months ahead of the projected timeline. Quantitative analysis of recruitment activity questionnaires found that of the sites that completed them (n = 54), (20.4%) met goals, (24.1%) exceeded goals, and (55.6%) fell below projected goals. Referral sources completed at time of screening indicate top four study referral sources as: site personnel (53.8%); neurologists (24%); Fox Trial Finder (10.2%); and communications from The Michael J. Fox Foundation (3.9%).

Conclusions:

STEADY PD III serves as an important example of methods that can be used to increase clinical trial recruitment. This research highlights a continued need to improve site infrastructure and dedicate more resources to increased participation of minorities in clinical research.

Interfacility transfers for US ischemic stroke and TIA, 2006-2014

OBJECTIVE

To investigate changes in emergency department (ED) transfers for ischemic stroke (IS) and TIA.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective observational study using the US Nationwide Emergency Department Sample to identify changes in interfacility ED transfers for IS and TIA from the perspective of the transferring ED (2006-2014). We calculated nationwide transfer rates and individual ED transfer rates for IS/TIA by diagnosis and hospital characteristics. Hospital-level fractional logistic regression examined changes in transfer rates over time.

RESULTS

The population-estimated number of transfers for IS/TIA increased from 22,576 patient visits in 2006 to 54,485 patient visits in 2014 (p trend < 0.001). The rate of IS/TIA transfer increased from 3.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.0-3.8) in 2006 to 7.6 (95% CI 7.2-7.9) in 2014 per 100 ED visits. Among individual EDs, mean transfer rates for IS/TIA increased from 8.2 per 100 ED visits (median 2.0, interquartile range [IQR] 0-10.2) to 19.4 per 100 ED visits (median 8.1, IQR 1.1-33.3) (2006-2014) (p trend < 0.001). Transfers were more common among IS. Transfer rates were greatest among rural (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 3.05, 95% CI 2.56-3.64) vs urban/teaching and low-volume EDs (AOR 7.49, 95% CI 6.58-8.53, 1st vs 4th quartile). The adjusted odds of transfer for IS/TIA increased threefold (2006-2014).

CONCLUSIONS

Interfacility ED transfers for IS/TIA more than doubled from 2006 to 2014. Further work should determine the necessity of IS/TIA transfers and seek to optimize the US stroke care system.

Variability in Gastrostomy Tube Placement for Intracerebral Hemorrhage Patients at US Hospitals

OBJECTIVE

We sought to characterize the variability among US hospitals with regard to gastrostomy tube placement for inpatients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

METHODS

Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we examined variations in the annual rate of gastrostomy tube placement from 2002 to 2011 for ICH patients admitted to hospitals with 30 or more annual ICH admissions. We then directly compared, among these hospitals, their individual frequencies of gastrostomy tube placement for ICH patients over the same time period. To quantify variability among hospitals, we used multilevel multivariable regression models accounting for a hospital random effect, adjusted for patient-level and hospital-level factors predictors of placement.

RESULTS

Gastrostomy tube placement rates did not significantly change from 2002 to 2011 (9.8 to 8.7 per 100 admissions; P trend = .57). Among 690 hospitals with 38,080 ICH hospitalizations during this period, 10.4% of patients had a gastrostomy tube placed (n = 3976). Variation in the rate of placement among individual hospitals was large, from 0% to 34.4% (interquartile range 5.7%-13.6%). For a regression model controlling for patient and hospital covariates, the median odds ratio was 1.36 (95% confidence interval 1.28-1.44), indicating that if a patient moved from one hospital to another with a higher intrinsic propensity of placement, there was a 1.36-fold median increase in the odds of receiving a gastrostomy tube, independent of patient and hospital factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Variation in gastrostomy tube placement rates across hospitals is large and may in part reflect differences in local practice patterns or patient and surrogate preferences.

Palliative Care in Neurology

Palliative medicine is a specialty that focuses on improving the quality of life for patients with serious or advanced medical conditions, and it is appropriate at any stage of disease, including at the time of diagnosis. Neurologic conditions tend to have high symptom burdens, variable disease courses, and poor prognoses that affect not only patients but also their families and caregivers. Patients with a variety of neurologic conditions such as Parkinson disease, dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brain tumors, stroke, and acute neurologic illnesses have substantial unmet needs that can be addressed through a combination of primary and specialty palliative care. The complex needs of these patients are ideally managed with a comprehensive approach to care that addresses the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of care in an effort to reduce suffering. Early discussions about prognosis, goals of care, and advance care planning are critical as they can provide guidance for treatment decisions and allow patients to retain a sense of autonomy despite progressive cognitive or functional decline. With the rapid growth in palliative care across the United States, there are opportunities to improve the palliative care knowledge of neurology trainees, the delivery of palliative care to patients with neurologic disease by both neurologists and nonneurologists, and the research agenda for neuropalliative care.

Palliative and end-of-life care in glioblastoma: defining and measuring opportunities to improve care

BACKGROUND

American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) quality measures for terminal cancers recommend early advance care planning and hospice at the end of life. We sought to evaluate adherence to 5 palliative care quality measures and explore associations with patient outcomes in glioblastoma.

METHODS

This is a retrospective analysis of 117 deceased glioblastoma patients over 5 years. Records were reviewed to describe adherence to palliative care quality measures and patient outcomes. Data regarding emotional assessments, advance directives, palliative care consultation, chemotherapy administration, hospice, location of death, and overall survival were collected.

RESULTS

Median overall survival was 12.9 months. By the second oncology visit, 22.2% (26/117) had an emotional assessment completed. Advance directives were documented for 52.1% (61/117) by the third neuro-oncology visit (30/61 health care proxy), yet 26.5% (31/117) did not have any advance directive before the last month of life. With regard to other ASCO quality measures, 36.8% (43/117) had a palliative care consult; 94.0% (110/117) did not receive chemotherapy in the last 14 days of life; 59.8% (70/117) enrolled in hospice >7 days before death; and 56.4% (66/117) died in a home setting. Patients who enrolled in hospice >7 days before death were 3.56 times more likely to die in a home setting than patients enrolled <7 days before death or with no hospice enrollment (P = .002, [OR 3.56; 95% CI, 1.57-8.04]).

CONCLUSIONS

Late advance directive documentation, minimal early palliative care involvement, and the association of early hospice enrollment with death in a home setting underscore the need to improve care and better define palliative care quality measures in glioblastoma.