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Baugh CW, Ouchi K, Bowman JK, Aizer AA, Zirulnik AW, Wadleigh M, Wise A, Remón Baranda P, Leiter RE, Molyneaux BJ, McCabe A, Hansrivijit P, Lally K, Littlefield M, Wagner AM, Walker KH, Salmasian H, Ravvaz K, Devlin JA, Brownell KL, Vitale MP, Firmin FC, Jain N, Thomas JD, Tulsky JA, Ray S, O’Mara LM, Rickerson EM, Mendu ML. A Hospice Transitions Program for Patients in the Emergency Department. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2420695. [PMID: 38976266 PMCID: PMC11231795 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.20695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Patients often visit the emergency department (ED) near the end of life. Their common disposition is inpatient hospital admission, which can result in a delayed transition to hospice care and, ultimately, an inpatient hospital death that may be misaligned with their goals of care. Objective To assess the association of hospice use with a novel multidisciplinary hospice program to rapidly identify and enroll eligible patients presenting to the ED near end of life. Design, Setting, and Participants This pre-post quality improvement study of a novel, multifaceted care transitions program involving a formalized pathway with email alerts, clinician training, hospice vendor expansion, metric creation, and data tracking was conducted at a large, urban tertiary care academic medical center affiliated with a comprehensive cancer center among adult patients presenting to the ED near the end of life. The control period before program launch was from September 1, 2018, to January 31, 2020, and the intervention period after program launch was from August 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022. Main Outcome and Measures The primary outcome was a transition to hospice without hospital admission and/or hospice admission within 96 hours of the ED visit. Secondary outcomes included length of stay and in-hospital mortality. Results This study included 270 patients (median age, 74.0 years [IQR, 62.0-85.0 years]; 133 of 270 women [49.3%]) in the control period, and 388 patients (median age, 73.0 years [IQR, 60.0-84.0 years]; 208 of 388 women [53.6%]) in the intervention period, identified as eligible for hospice transition within 96 hours of ED arrival. In the control period, 61 patients (22.6%) achieved the primary outcome compared with 210 patients (54.1%) in the intervention period (P < .001). The intervention was associated with the primary outcome after adjustment for age, race and ethnicity, primary payer, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and presence of a Medical Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) (adjusted odds ratio, 5.02; 95% CI, 3.17-7.94). In addition, the presence of a MOLST was independently associated with hospice transition across all groups (adjusted odds ratio, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.18-2.99). There was no significant difference between the control and intervention periods in inpatient length of stay (median, 2.0 days [IQR, 1.1-3.0 days] vs 1.9 days [IQR, 1.1-3.0 days]; P = .84), but in-hospital mortality was lower in the intervention period (48.5% [188 of 388] vs 64.4% [174 of 270]; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance In this quality improvement study, a multidisciplinary program to facilitate ED patient transitions was associated with hospice use. Further investigation is needed to examine the generalizability and sustainability of the program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher W. Baugh
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kei Ouchi
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jason K. Bowman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ayal A. Aizer
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alexander W. Zirulnik
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Martha Wadleigh
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Angela Wise
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Richard E. Leiter
- Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Andrea McCabe
- Mass General Brigham Home Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Panupong Hansrivijit
- Division of Renal Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kate Lally
- Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Melissa Littlefield
- Office of the Chief Operating Officer, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alexei M. Wagner
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Hojjat Salmasian
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kourosh Ravvaz
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jada A. Devlin
- Mass General Brigham Home Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Karen Lewis Brownell
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Matthew P. Vitale
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Frantzie C. Firmin
- Office of the Chief Operating Officer, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nelia Jain
- Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jane deLima Thomas
- Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - James A. Tulsky
- Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Soumi Ray
- Department of Analytics, Planning, Strategy and Improvement, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lynne M. O’Mara
- Office of the Chief Operating Officer, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Elizabeth M. Rickerson
- Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Mallika L. Mendu
- Division of Renal Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Office of the Chief Operating Officer, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
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Bourmorck D, Pétré B, de Saint-Hubert M, De Brauwer I. Is palliative care a utopia for older patients with organ failure, dementia or frailty? A qualitative study through the prism of emergency department admission. BMC Health Serv Res 2024; 24:773. [PMID: 38956595 PMCID: PMC11218079 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-024-11242-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nearly three out of four older people will use the emergency department (ED) during their last year of life. However, most of them do not benefit from palliative care. Providing palliative care is a real challenge for ED clinicians who are trained in acute, life-saving medicine. Our aim is to understand the ED's role in providing palliative care for this population. METHODS We designed a qualitative study based on 1) interviews - conducted with older patients (≥ 75 years) with a palliative profile and their informal caregivers - and 2) focus groups - conducted with ED and primary care nurses and physicians. Palliative profiles were defined by the Supportive and Palliative Indicators tool (SPICT). Qualitative data was collected in French-speaking Belgium between July 2021 and July 2022. We used a constant inductive and comparative analysis. RESULTS Five older patients with a palliative profile, four informal caregivers, 55 primary and ED caregivers participated in this study. A priori, the participants did not perceive any role for the ED in palliative care. In fact, there is widespread discomfort with caring for older patients and providing palliative care. This is explained by multiple areas of tensions. Palliative care is an approach fraught with pitfalls, i.e.: knowledge and know-how gaps, their implementation depends on patients'(co)morbidity profile and professional values, experiences and type of practice. In ED, there are constant tensions between emergency and palliative care requirements, i.e.: performance, clockwork and needs for standardised procedures versus relational care, time and diversity of palliative care projects. However, even though the ED's role in palliative care is not recognised at first sight, we highlighted four roles assumed by ED caregivers: 1) Investigator, 2) Objectifier, 3) Palliative care provider, and 4) Decision-maker on the intensity of care. A common perception among participants was that ED caregivers can assist in the early identification of patients with a palliative profile. CONCLUSIONS Currently, there is widespread discomfort regarding ED caregivers caring for older patients and providing palliative care. Nonetheless, ED caregivers play four roles in palliative care for older patients. In the future, ED caregivers might also perform the role of early identifier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delphine Bourmorck
- Institute of Health and Society, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Benoit Pétré
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medecine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Marie de Saint-Hubert
- Institute of Health and Society, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- CHU-UCL Namur, Yvoir, Belgium
| | - Isabelle De Brauwer
- Institute of Health and Society, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium
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Chary AN, Hernandez N, Rivera AP, Santangelo I, Ritchie C, Ouchi K, Liu SW, Naik AD, Kennedy M. Emergency department communication with diverse caregivers and persons living with dementia: A qualitative study. J Am Geriatr Soc 2024; 72:1687-1696. [PMID: 38553011 DOI: 10.1111/jgs.18897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research to date has detailed numerous challenges in emergency department (ED) communication with persons living with dementia (PLWD) and their caregivers. However, little is known about communication experiences of individuals belonging to minoritized racial and ethnic groups, who are disproportionately impacted by dementia and less likely to be included in dementia research. METHODS We conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 caregivers of PLWD from two urban academic hospital EDs with distinct patient populations. The first site is an ED in the Northeast serving a majority White, English-speaking, and insured population. The second site is an ED in the South serving a majority Black and/or Hispanic, Spanish-speaking, and underinsured population. Interviews lasted an average of 25 min and were digitally recorded and transcribed. We used an inductive approach to analyze interview transcripts for dominant themes and compared themes between sites. RESULTS Our sample included caregivers of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Caregivers cared for PLWD who spoke English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and Vietnamese. We identified three themes. First, caregiver advocacy was central to experiences of ED communication, particularly when PLWD primarily spoke a non-English language. Second, routine care plans did not address what mattered most to participants and PLWD. Participants felt that care arose from protocols and did not address what mattered most to them. Third, White English-speaking caregivers in Site 1 more commonly expected ED staff to engage them in care decision-making than Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Middle Eastern caregivers in Site 2. CONCLUSION Language barriers amplify the higher intensity care needed by PLWD in the ED. Strategies should be developed for communicating with PLWD and caregivers about what matters most in their ED care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita N Chary
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Norvin Hernandez
- School of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Ilianna Santangelo
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Christine Ritchie
- Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, Mongan Institute Center for Aging and Serious Illness, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kei Ouchi
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Shan W Liu
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Aanand D Naik
- Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA
- Consortium on Aging, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Maura Kennedy
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Burton E, Chonody J, Teater B, Alford S. Goal setting in later life: an international comparison of older adults' defined goals. BMC Geriatr 2024; 24:443. [PMID: 38773405 PMCID: PMC11110366 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-024-05017-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies of goal setting in later life tend to focus on health-related goal setting, are pre-determined by the researcher (i.e., tick box), and/or are focused on a specific geographical area (i.e., one country). This study sought to understand broader, long-term goals from the perspective of older adults (65 + years) from Australia, New Zealand (NZ), United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, Canada, and the United States of America (USA). METHODS Through a cross-sectional, online survey (N = 1,551), this exploratory study examined the qualitative goal content of older adults. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data, and bivariate analyses were used to compare thematic differences between regions and by participants' sex. RESULTS Over 60% of the participants reported setting goals, and participants from the Australia-NZ and Canada-USA regions were more likely to set goals than the UK-Ireland region. The following six overarching themes were identified from the 946 goals reported: health and well-being; social connections and engagement; activities and experiences; finance and employment; home and lifestyle; and attitude to life. CONCLUSIONS This study supports previous research that demonstrates that older adults can and do set personal goals that are wide ranging. These findings support the need for health professionals to consider different methods for elucidating this important information from older adults that builds rapport and focuses on aspects viewed as more important by the older adult and therefore potentially produces improved health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elissa Burton
- enAble Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, Australia.
- Curtin School of Allied Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
| | - Jill Chonody
- College of Health Sciences, School of Social Work, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA
| | - Barbra Teater
- College of Staten Island, Department of Social Work, City University of New York, Staten Island, NY, USA
| | - Sabretta Alford
- The Graduate Center, PhD in Social Welfare, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
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Haimovich AD, Burke RC, Nathanson LA, Rubins D, Taylor RA, Kross EK, Ouchi K, Shapiro NI, Schonberg MA. Geriatric End-of-Life Screening Tool Prediction of 6-Month Mortality in Older Patients. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2414213. [PMID: 38819823 PMCID: PMC11143461 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.14213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Emergency department (ED) visits by older adults with life-limiting illnesses are a critical opportunity to establish patient care end-of-life preferences, but little is known about the optimal screening criteria for resource-constrained EDs. Objectives To externally validate the Geriatric End-of-Life Screening Tool (GEST) in an independent population and compare it with commonly used serious illness diagnostic criteria. Design, Setting, and Participants This prognostic study assessed a cohort of patients aged 65 years and older who were treated in a tertiary care ED in Boston, Massachusetts, from 2017 to 2021. Patients arriving in cardiac arrest or who died within 1 day of ED arrival were excluded. Data analysis was performed from August 1, 2023, to March 27, 2024. Exposure GEST, a logistic regression algorithm that uses commonly available electronic health record (EHR) datapoints and was developed and validated across 9 EDs, was compared with serious illness diagnoses as documented in the EHR. Serious illnesses included stroke/transient ischemic attack, liver disease, cancer, lung disease, and age greater than 80 years, among others. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was 6-month mortality following an ED encounter. Statistical analyses included area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration analyses, Kaplan-Meier survival curves, and decision curves. Results This external validation included 82 371 ED encounters by 40 505 unique individuals (mean [SD] age, 76.8 [8.4] years; 54.3% women, 13.8% 6-month mortality rate). GEST had an external validation area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.79 (95% CI, 0.78-0.79) that was stable across years and demographic subgroups. Of included encounters, 53.4% had a serious illness, with a sensitivity of 77.4% (95% CI, 76.6%-78.2%) and specificity of 50.5% (95% CI, 50.1%-50.8%). Varying GEST cutoffs from 5% to 30% increased specificity (5%: 49.1% [95% CI, 48.7%-49.5%]; 30%: 92.2% [95% CI, 92.0%-92.4%]) at the cost of sensitivity (5%: 89.3% [95% CI, 88.8-89.9]; 30%: 36.2% [95% CI, 35.3-37.1]). In a decision curve analysis, GEST outperformed serious illness criteria across all tested thresholds. When comparing patients referred to intervention by GEST with serious illness criteria, GEST reclassified 45.1% of patients with serious illness as having low risk of mortality with an observed mortality rate 8.1% and 2.6% of patients without serious illness as having high mortality risk with an observed mortality rate of 34.3% for a total reclassification rate of 25.3%. Conclusions and Relevance The findings of this study suggest that both serious illness criteria and GEST identified older ED patients at risk for 6-month mortality, but GEST offered more useful screening characteristics. Future trials of serious illness interventions for high mortality risk in older adults may consider transitioning from diagnosis code criteria to GEST, an automatable EHR-based algorithm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian D. Haimovich
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ryan C. Burke
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Larry A. Nathanson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - David Rubins
- Department of Internal Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - R. Andrew Taylor
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Erin K. Kross
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
- Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence at UW Medicine, Seattle, Washington
| | - Kei Ouchi
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nathan I. Shapiro
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Mara A. Schonberg
- Department of Internal Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
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Walkner T, Karr DW, Murray S, Heeren A, Berry-Stoelzle M. Participation in Advance Care Planning Among Medically At-Risk Rural Veterans: Protocol for a Personalized Engagement Model. JMIR Res Protoc 2024; 13:e55080. [PMID: 38608267 PMCID: PMC11053389 DOI: 10.2196/55080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many of the challenges in advanced care planning (ACP) conversations are linked to the waxing and waning progress of serious illnesses. Conversations with patients about future medical care decisions by a surrogate decision maker have historically been left until late in the patient's disease trajectory. These conversations often happen at a time when the patient is already very ill. The challenge in effective early ACP and serious illness conversations is to create a situation where patients appreciate the link between current and future medical care. Setting the stage to make these conversations more accessible includes using telehealth to have conversations at the patient's place of choice. The personalization used includes addressing the current medical and social needs of the patient and ensuring that expressed needs are addressed as much as possible. Engaging patients in these conversations allows the documentation of patient preferences in the electronic health record (EHR), providing guidelines for future medical care. OBJECTIVE The objective of our telehealth serious illness care conversations program was to successfully recruit patients who lacked up-to-date documentation of ACP in their EHR. Once these patients were identified, we engaged in meaningful, structured conversations to address the veterans' current needs and concerns. We developed a recruitment protocol that increased the uptake of rural veterans' participation in serious illness care conversations and subsequent EHR documentation. METHODS The recruitment protocol outlined herein used administrative data to determine those patients who have not completed or updated formal ACP documentation in the EHR and who are at above-average risk for death in the next 3-5 years. The key features of the telehealth serious illness care conversations recruitment protocol involve tailoring the recruitment approach to address current patient concerns while emphasizing future medical decision-making. RESULTS As of September 2022, 196 veterans had completed this intervention. The recruitment method ensures that the timing of the intervention is patient driven, allowing for veterans to engage in ACP at a time and place convenient for them and their identified support persons. CONCLUSIONS The recruitment protocol has been successful in actively involving patients in ACP conversations, leading to an uptick in completed formal documentation of ACP preferences within the EHR for this specific population. This documentation is then available to the medical team to guide future medical care. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) RR1-10.2196/55080.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tammy Walkner
- Veterans Rural Health Resource Center, Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA, United States
- Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE), Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Daniel W Karr
- Veterans Rural Health Resource Center, Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA, United States
- Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE), Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Sarah Murray
- Veterans Rural Health Resource Center, Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA, United States
- Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE), Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Amanda Heeren
- Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, Unviersity of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Maresi Berry-Stoelzle
- Veterans Rural Health Resource Center, Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA, United States
- Vaughan Institute, Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
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van Oppen JD, Suzanne M. Frailty screening in the Emergency Department: why does it matter? Age Ageing 2024; 53:afae056. [PMID: 38655587 DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afae056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- James David van Oppen
- Centre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Mason Suzanne
- Centre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Adeyemi O, Walker L, Bermudez E, Cuthel AM, Zhao N, Siman N, Goldfeld K, Brody AA, Bouillon-Minois JB, DiMaggio C, Chodosh J, Grudzen CR. Emergency Nurses' Perceived Barriers and Solutions to Engaging Patients With Life-Limiting Illnesses in Serious Illness Conversations: A United States Multicenter Mixed-Method Analysis. J Emerg Nurs 2024; 50:225-242. [PMID: 37966418 PMCID: PMC10939973 DOI: 10.1016/j.jen.2023.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION This study aimed to assess emergency nurses' perceived barriers toward engaging patients in serious illness conversations. METHODS Using a mixed-method (quant + QUAL) convergent design, we pooled data on the emergency nurses who underwent the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium training across 33 emergency departments. Data were extracted from the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium post-training questionnaire, comprising a 5-item survey and 1 open-ended question. Our quantitative analysis employed a cross-sectional design to assess the proportion of emergency nurses who report that they will encounter barriers in engaging seriously ill patients in serious illness conversations in the emergency department. Our qualitative analysis used conceptual content analysis to generate themes and meaning units of the perceived barriers and possible solutions toward having serious illness conversations in the emergency department. RESULTS A total of 2176 emergency nurses responded to the survey. Results from the quantitative analysis showed that 1473 (67.7%) emergency nurses reported that they will encounter barriers while engaging in serious illness conversations. Three thematic barriers-human factors, time constraints, and challenges in the emergency department work environment-emerged from the content analysis. Some of the subthemes included the perceived difficulty of serious illness conversations, delay in daily throughput, and lack of privacy in the emergency department. The potential solutions extracted included the need for continued training, the provision of dedicated emergency nurses to handle serious illness conversations, and the creation of dedicated spaces for serious illness conversations. DISCUSSION Emergency nurses may encounter barriers while engaging in serious illness conversations. Institutional-level policies may be required in creating a palliative care-friendly emergency department work environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwaseun Adeyemi
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Allison M. Cuthel
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Nicole Zhao
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook NY
| | - Nina Siman
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Keith Goldfeld
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Population Health, New York, New York, USA
| | - Abraham A. Brody
- New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York, NY, USA; Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, New York, NY, USA; Division of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care, Department of Internal Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jean-Baptiste Bouillon-Minois
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Emergency Department, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Charles DiMaggio
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, New York, New York, USA
| | - Joshua Chodosh
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Population Health, New York, New York, USA
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Corita R. Grudzen
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, New York, New York, USA
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
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Wendel SK, Whitcomb M, Solomon A, Swafford A, Youngwerth J, Wiler JL, Bookman K. Emergency department hospice care pathway associated with decreased ED and hospital length of stay. Am J Emerg Med 2024; 76:99-104. [PMID: 38039564 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2023.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION While increasing evidence shows that hospice and palliative care interventions in the ED can benefit patients and systems, little exists on the feasibility and effectiveness of identifying patients in the ED who might benefit from hospice care. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of a clinical care pathway on the identification of patients who would benefit from hospice in an academic medical center ED setting. METHODS We instituted a clinical pathway for ED patients with potential need for or already enrolled in hospice. This pathway was digitally embedded in the electronic health record and made available to ED physicians, APPs and staff in a non-interruptive fashion. Patient and visit characteristics were evaluated for the six months before (05/04/2021-10/4/2021) and after (10/5/2021-05/04/2022) implementation. RESULTS After pathway implementation, more patients were identified as appropriate for hospice and ED length of stay (LOS) for qualifying patients decreased by a median of 2.9 h. Social work consultation for hospice evaluation increased, and more patients were discharged from the ED with hospice. As more patients were identified with end-of-life care needs, the number of patients admitted to the hospital increased. However, more patients were admitted under observation status, and admission LOS decreased by a median of 18.4 h. CONCLUSION This non-interruptive, digitally embedded clinical care pathway provided guidance for ED physicians and APPs to initiate hospice referrals. More patients received social work consultation and were identified as hospice eligible. Those patients admitted to the hospital had a decrease in both ED and hospital admission LOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Wendel
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO 80045, United States of America.
| | - Mackenzie Whitcomb
- School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States of America
| | - Ariel Solomon
- Care Management, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, CO, United States of America
| | - Angela Swafford
- Care Management, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, CO, United States of America; Behavioral Health, UCHealth, Aurora, CO, United States of America
| | - Jeanie Youngwerth
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States of America
| | - Jennifer L Wiler
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO 80045, United States of America
| | - Kelly Bookman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO 80045, United States of America
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Haimovich AD, Shah MN, Southerland LT, Hwang U, Patterson BW. Automating risk stratification for geriatric syndromes in the emergency department. J Am Geriatr Soc 2024; 72:258-267. [PMID: 37811698 PMCID: PMC10866303 DOI: 10.1111/jgs.18594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Geriatric emergency department (GED) guidelines endorse screening older patients for geriatric syndromes in the ED, but there have been significant barriers to widespread implementation. The majority of screening programs require engagement of a clinician, nurse, or social worker, adding to already significant workloads at a time of record-breaking ED patient volumes, staff shortages, and hospital boarding crises. Automated, electronic health record (EHR)-embedded risk stratification approaches may be an alternate solution for extending the reach of the GED mission by directing human actions to a smaller subset of higher risk patients. METHODS We define the concept of automated risk stratification and screening using existing EHR data. We discuss progress made in three potential use cases in the ED: falls, cognitive impairment, and end-of-life and palliative care, emphasizing the importance of linking automated screening with systems of healthcare delivery. RESULTS Research progress and operational deployment vary by use case, ranging from deployed solutions in falls screening to algorithmic validation in cognitive impairment and end-of-life care. CONCLUSIONS Automated risk stratification offers a potential solution to one of the most pressing problems in geriatric emergency care: identifying high-risk populations of older adults most appropriate for specific GED care. Future work is needed to realize the promise of improved care with less provider burden by creating tools suitable for widespread deployment as well as best practices for their implementation and governance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian D Haimovich
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Manish N Shah
- BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Lauren T Southerland
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Ula Hwang
- Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, James J. Peters VAMC, Bronx, New York, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Brian W Patterson
- BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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11
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Briedé S, Brandwijk ON, van Charldorp TC, Kaasjager HAH. A patient's perspective on care decisions: a qualitative interview study. BMC Health Serv Res 2023; 23:1335. [PMID: 38041103 PMCID: PMC10693144 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-10342-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Discussing treatment wishes and limitations during medical consultations aims to enable patients to define goals and preferences for future care. Patients and physicians, however, face multiple barriers, resulting in postponing or avoiding the conversation. The aim of this study was to explore an internal medicine outpatient clinic population's perception on (discussing) treatment wishes and limitations. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were conducted in two rounds with 44 internal medicine outpatient clinic patients at the University Medical Centre Utrecht, a tertiary care teaching medical centre in the Netherlands. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed with a phenomenological approach and inductive, data-driven coding. RESULTS Four themes were identified, two (1-2) represent a deep conviction, two (3-4) are practically oriented: (1) patients associate treatment wishes and limitations with the end-of-life, making it sensitive and currently irrelevant, (2) patients assume this process leads to fixed choices, whilst their wishes might be situation dependent, (3) treatment wishes and limitations are about balancing whether a treatment 'is worth it', in which several subthemes carry weight, (4) the physician is assigned a key role. CONCLUSION AND PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS The themes provide starting points for future interventions. It should be emphasized that care decisions are a continuous, dynamic process, relevant at any time in any circumstance and the physician should be aware of his/her key role.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Briedé
- Department of Internal Medicine and Dermatology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Postbus 85500, Utrecht, GA, 3508, the Netherlands.
| | - O N Brandwijk
- Department of Internal Medicine and Dermatology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Postbus 85500, Utrecht, GA, 3508, the Netherlands
| | - T C van Charldorp
- Department of Languages, Literature and Communication, Faculty of Humanities, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - H A H Kaasjager
- Department of Internal Medicine and Dermatology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Postbus 85500, Utrecht, GA, 3508, the Netherlands
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12
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Lu Y, Ren C, Wu C. In-Hospital Mortality Prediction Model for Critically Ill Older Adult Patients Transferred from the Emergency Department to the Intensive Care Unit. Risk Manag Healthc Policy 2023; 16:2555-2563. [PMID: 38024492 PMCID: PMC10676667 DOI: 10.2147/rmhp.s442138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Studies on the prognosis of critically ill older adult patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) but requiring immediate admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) remain limited. This study aimed to develop an in-hospital mortality prediction model for critically ill older adult patients transferred from the ED to the ICU. Patients and Methods The training cohort was taken from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (version 2.2) database, and the external validation cohort was taken from the Affiliated Dongyang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University. In the training cohort, class balance was addressed using Random Over Sampling Examples (ROSE). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors. These were then integrated into the predictive nomogram. In the validation cohort, the predictive performance of the nomogram was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration curve, clinical utility decision curve analysis (DCA), and clinical impact curve (CIC). Results In the ROSE-balanced training cohort, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis identified that age, sex, Glasgow coma scale score, malignant cancer, sepsis, use of mechanical ventilation, use of vasoactive agents, white blood cells, potassium, and creatinine were independent predictors of in-hospital mortality in critically ill older adult patients, and were included in the nomogram. The nomogram showed good predictive performance in the ROSE-balanced training cohort (AUC [95% confidence interval]: 0.792 [0.783-0.801]) and validation cohort (AUC [95% confidence interval]: 0.780 [0.727-0.834]). The calibration curves were well-fitted. DCA and CIC demonstrated that the nomogram has good clinical application value. Conclusion This study developed a predictive model for early prediction of in-hospital mortality in critically ill older adult patients transferred from the ED to the ICU, which was validated by external data and has good predictive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Lu
- Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Dongyang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Dongyang, Zhejiang, 322100, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chaoxiang Ren
- Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Dongyang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Dongyang, Zhejiang, 322100, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chaolong Wu
- Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Dongyang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Dongyang, Zhejiang, 322100, People’s Republic of China
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13
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Chary AN, Cameron-Comasco L, Shankar KN, Samuels-Kalow ME. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Considerations in the Geriatric Emergency Department Patient. Clin Geriatr Med 2023; 39:673-686. [PMID: 37798072 PMCID: PMC10775156 DOI: 10.1016/j.cger.2023.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
This article introduces core topics in health equity scholarship and provides examples of how diversity, equity, and inclusion impact the aging population and emergency care of older adults. It offers strategies for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion to both strengthen the patient-clinician therapeutic relationship and to address operations and systems that impact care of the geriatric emergency department patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita N Chary
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, 2450 Holcombe Boulevard, Suite 01Y, Houston, TX 77021, USA; Department of Medicine, Section of Health Services Research, Baylor College of Medicine, 2450 Holcombe Boulevard, Suite 01Y, Houston, TX 77021, USA.
| | - Lauren Cameron-Comasco
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Beaumont Hospital, 3601 West 13 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI 48073, USA
| | - Kalpana N Shankar
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Neville House, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Margaret E Samuels-Kalow
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 9206, Boston, MA 02114, USA
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14
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Prachanukool T, George N, Bowman J, Ito K, Ouchi K. Best Practices in End of Life and Palliative Care in the Emergency Department. Clin Geriatr Med 2023; 39:575-597. [PMID: 37798066 DOI: 10.1016/j.cger.2023.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Three-quarters of patients over the age of 65 visit the emergency department (ED) in the last six months of their lives. Approximately 20% of hospice residents have ED visits. These patients must decide whether to receive emergency care that prioritizes life support, which may not achieve their desired outcomes and might even be futile. The patients in these end-of-life stages could benefit from early palliative care or hospice consultation before they present to the ED. Furthermore, early integration of palliative care at the time of ED visits is important in establishing the goals of the entire treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thidathit Prachanukool
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, 270 Rama VI Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand; Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Neville House, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Naomi George
- Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, 700 Camino de Salud, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Jason Bowman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Neville House, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Medicine, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 75 Francis Street, Neville House, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kaori Ito
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Acute Care Surgery, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1, Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8606, Japan
| | - Kei Ouchi
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Neville House, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Medicine, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 75 Francis Street, Neville House, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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15
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Ouchi K, George N, Bowman J, Block SD. Empower Emergency Physicians to Make Patient-Centered Recommendations Regarding Code Status With Serious Illness Communication Training-Resident-Desired, Standard of Emergency Care in 2023. Ann Emerg Med 2023; 82:594-597. [PMID: 37462599 DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2023.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kei Ouchi
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA; Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Serious Illness Care Program, Ariadne Labs, Boston, MA; Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.
| | - Naomi George
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM
| | - Jason Bowman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA; Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Serious Illness Care Program, Ariadne Labs, Boston, MA; Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Susan D Block
- Serious Illness Care Program, Ariadne Labs, Boston, MA; Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
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16
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Sanders S, Cheung WJ, Bakewell F, Landreville JM, Rangel C, D'Egidio G, Eagles D. How Emergency Medicine Residents Have Conversations About Life-Sustaining Treatments in Critical Illness: A Qualitative Study Using Inductive Thematic Analysis. Ann Emerg Med 2023; 82:583-593. [PMID: 37074255 DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2023.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVE The inherent pressures of high-acuity, critical illness in the emergency department create a unique environment whereby acute goals-of-care discussions must be had with patients or substitute decision makers to rapidly decide between divergent treatment paths. Among university-affiliated hospitals, resident physicians are often conducting these highly consequential discussions. This study aimed to use qualitative methods to explore how emergency medicine residents make recommendations regarding life-sustaining treatments during acute goals-of-care discussions in critical illness. METHODS Using qualitative methods, semistructured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of emergency medicine residents in Canada from August to December 2021. Inductive thematic analysis of the interview transcripts was conducted using line-by-line coding, and key themes were identified through comparative analysis. Data collection continued until thematic saturation was reached. RESULTS Seventeen emergency medicine residents from 9 Canadian universities were interviewed. Two factors guided residents' treatment recommendations (a duty to provide a recommendation and the balance between disease prognosis and patient values). Three factors influenced residents' comfort when making recommendations (time constraints, uncertainty, and moral distress). CONCLUSION While conducting acute goals-of-care discussions with critically ill patients or their substitute decision makers in the emergency department, residents felt a sense of duty to provide a recommendation informed by an intersection between the patient's disease prognosis and the patient's values. Their comfort in making these recommendations was limited by time constraints, uncertainty, and moral distress. These factors are important for informing future educational strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Sanders
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario.
| | - Warren J Cheung
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario; Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario
| | - Francis Bakewell
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | | | - Cristian Rangel
- Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario
| | - Gianni D'Egidio
- Department of Critical Care, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario
| | - Debra Eagles
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario; School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario; Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario
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17
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Haimovich AD, Burke RC, Gacioch BQ, Ouchi K, Granovsky M, Burke LG. Advance Care Planning Billing Claims by Emergency Physicians. Ann Emerg Med 2023; 82:527-529. [PMID: 37341667 PMCID: PMC10526981 DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2023.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian D Haimovich
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Bedford, MA.
| | - Ryan C Burke
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Bedford, MA
| | - Brian Q Gacioch
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Bedford, MA
| | - Kei Ouchi
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | | | - Laura G Burke
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Bedford, MA
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18
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Sheber M, McKnight M, Liebzeit D, Seaman A, Husser EK, Buck H, Reisinger HS, Lee S. Older adults' goals of care in the emergency department setting: A qualitative study guided by the 4Ms framework. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open 2023; 4:e13012. [PMID: 37520079 PMCID: PMC10375261 DOI: 10.1002/emp2.13012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background We sought to identify what matters to older adults (60 years and older) presenting to the emergency department (ED) and the challenges or concerns they identify related to medication, mobility, and mentation to inform how the 4Ms framework could improve care of older adults in the ED setting. Methods A qualitative study was conducted using the 4Ms to identify what matters to older adults (≥60 years old) presenting to the ED and what challenges or concerns they identify related to medication, mobility, and mentation. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample of patients in a single ED. Interview guide responses and interviewer field notes were entered into REDCap. Interviews were reviewed by the research team (2 coders per interview) who inductively assigned codes. A codebook was created through an iterative process and was used to group codes into themes and sub-themes within the 4Ms framework. Results A total of 20 ED patients participated in the interviews lasting 30-60 minutes. Codes identified for "what matters" included problem-oriented expectation, coordination and continuity, staying engaged, being with family, and getting back home. Codes related to the other 4Ms (medication, mobility, and mentation) described challenges. Medication challenges included: non-adherence, side effects, polypharmacy, and knowledge. Mobility challenges included physical activity and independence. Last, mentation challenges included memory concerns, depressed mood, and stress and worry. Conclusions Our study used the 4Ms to identify "what matters" to older adults presenting to the ED and the challenges they face regarding medication, mobility, and mentation. Understanding what matters to patients and the specific challenges they face can help shape and individualize a patient-centered approach to care to facilitate the goals of care discussion and handoff to the next care team.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Sheber
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Iowa Carver College of MedicineIowa CityIowaUSA
| | - Mackenzie McKnight
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Iowa Carver College of MedicineIowa CityIowaUSA
| | | | - Aaron Seaman
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of Iowa Carver College of MedicineIowa CityIowaUSA
| | - Erica K. Husser
- Ross and Carol Nese College of NursingPennsylvania State University, University ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Harleah Buck
- University of Iowa College of NursingIowa CityIowaUSA
| | - Heather S. Reisinger
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of Iowa Carver College of MedicineIowa CityIowaUSA
| | - Sangil Lee
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Iowa Carver College of MedicineDepartment of EpidemiologyUniversity of Iowa College of Public HealthIowa CityIowaUSA
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19
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Haimovich AD, Xu W, Wei A, Schonberg MA, Hwang U, Taylor RA. Automatable end-of-life screening for older adults in the emergency department using electronic health records. J Am Geriatr Soc 2023; 71:1829-1839. [PMID: 36744550 PMCID: PMC10258151 DOI: 10.1111/jgs.18262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emergency department (ED) visits are common at the end-of-life, but the identification of patients with life-limiting illness remains a key challenge in providing timely and resource-sensitive advance care planning (ACP) and palliative care services. To date, there are no validated, automatable instruments for ED end-of-life screening. Here, we developed a novel electronic health record (EHR) prognostic model to screen older ED patients at high risk for 6-month mortality and compare its performance to validated comorbidity indices. METHODS This was a retrospective, observational cohort study of ED visits from adults aged ≥65 years who visited any of 9 EDs across a large regional health system between 2014 and 2019. Multivariable logistic regression that included clinical and demographic variables, vital signs, and laboratory data was used to develop a 6-month mortality predictive model-the Geriatric End-of-life Screening Tool (GEST) using five-fold cross-validation on data from 8 EDs. Performance was compared to the Charlson and Elixhauser comorbidity indices using area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC), calibration, and decision curve analyses. Reproducibility was tested against data from the remaining independent ED within the health system. We then used GEST to investigate rates of ACP documentation availability and code status orders in the EHR across risk strata. RESULTS A total of 431,179 encounters by 123,128 adults were included in this study with a 6-month mortality rate of 12.2%. Charlson (AUROC (95% CI): 0.65 (0.64-0.69)) and Elixhauser indices (0.69 (0.68-0.70)) were outperformed by GEST (0.82 (0.82-0.83)). GEST displayed robust performance across demographic subgroups and in our independent validation site. Among patients with a greater than 30% mortality risk using GEST, only 5.0% had ACP documentation; 79.0% had a code status previously ordered, of which 70.7% were full code. In decision curve analysis, GEST provided greater net benefit than the Charlson and Elixhauser scores. CONCLUSIONS Prognostic models using EHR data robustly identify high mortality risk older adults in the ED for whom code status, ACP, or palliative care interventions may be of benefit. Although all tested methods identified patients approaching the end-of-life, GEST was most performant. These tools may enable resource-sensitive end-of-life screening in the ED.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian D Haimovich
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Wenxin Xu
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Andrew Wei
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Mara A Schonberg
- Department of Internal Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ula Hwang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, James J. Peters VAMC, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - R Andrew Taylor
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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20
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Ajzenberg H, Dainty KN, O'Connor E. Recommendation-making in the emergency department: A qualitative study of how Canadian emergency physicians guide treatment decisions about resuscitation in critically ill patients. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open 2023; 4:e12962. [PMID: 37229184 PMCID: PMC10204169 DOI: 10.1002/emp2.12962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Study Objective Emergency physicians are frequently responsible for making time-sensitive decisions around the provision of life-sustaining treatment. These decisions can involve goals of care or code status discussion, which will often substantially alter a patient's care pathway. A central part of these conversations that has received relatively little attention are recommendations for care. By proposing a best course of action or treatment via a recommendation, a clinician can ensure that their patients receive care that is concordant with their values. The objective of this study is to explore emergency physicians' attitudes toward recommendations about resuscitation in critically ill patients in the emergency department (ED). Methods We recruited Canadian emergency physicians via multiple recruitment strategies to ensure maximum variation sampling. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted until thematic saturation occurred. Participants were asked about their perspectives and experiences with respect to recommendation-making in critically ill patients and to identify areas for improvement in this process in the ED. We used a qualitative descriptive approach and thematic analysis to identify themes around recommendation-making in the ED for critically ill patients. Results Sixteen emergency physicians agreed to participate. We identified four themes and multiple subthemes. Major themes included identification of the roles and responsibilities of the emergency physician (EP) with respect to making a recommendation, the logistics or process of making a recommendation, barriers to making a recommendation, and how to improve recommendation-making and goals of care conversations in the ED. Conclusion Emergency physicians provided a range of perspectives on the role of recommendation-making in critically ill patients in the ED. Several barriers to the inclusion of a recommendation were identified and many physicians provided ideas on how to improve goals of care conversations, the recommendation-making process, and ensure that critically ill patients receive care that is concordant with their values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Ajzenberg
- Division of Emergency MedicineUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Katie N. Dainty
- North York General Hospital, Institute of Health Policy Management and EvaluationUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Erin O'Connor
- Divisions of Emergency Medicine and Palliative MedicineDepartment of MedicineUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
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21
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Asiaban JN, Patel S, Ormseth CH, Donohue KC, Wallin D, Wang RC, Raven MC. Advance Care Planning Among Patients With Advanced Illness Presenting to the Emergency Department. J Emerg Med 2023; 64:476-480. [PMID: 36990851 DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2022.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Advance care planning (ACP) benefits emergency department (ED) patients with advanced illness. Although Medicare implemented physician reimbursement for ACP discussions in 2016, early studies found limited uptake. OBJECTIVE We conducted a pilot study to assess ACP documentation and billing to inform the development of ED-based interventions to increase ACP. METHODS We conducted a retrospective chart review to quantify the proportion of ED patients with advanced illness with Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) or coding of ACP discussion in the medical record. We surveyed a subset of patients via phone to evaluate ACP participation. RESULTS Of 186 patients included in the chart review, 68 (37%) had a POLST and none had ACP discussions billed. Of 50 patients surveyed, 18 (36%) recalled prior ACP discussions. CONCLUSIONS Given the low uptake of ACP discussions in ED patients with advanced illness, the ED may be an underused setting for interventions to increase ACP discussions and documentation.
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Waller A, Hullick C, Sanson-Fisher R, Herrmann-Johns A. Optimal care of people with brain cancer in the emergency department: A cross-sectional survey of outpatient perceptions. Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs 2023; 10:100194. [PMID: 36915388 PMCID: PMC10006536 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjon.2023.100194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective People diagnosed with brain cancer commonly present to the emergency department (ED). There is uncertainty about essential components and processes of optimal care from the perspective of consumers, and few guidelines exist to inform practice. This study examined the perceptions of outpatients and their support persons regarding what constitutes optimal care for people with brain cancer presenting to the ED. Methods A cross sectional descriptive survey study was undertaken. Participants included adults attending hospital outpatient clinics (n = 181, 60% of eligible participants). Participants completed a survey assessing perceptions of optimal care for brain cancer patients presenting to emergency department and socio-demographic characteristics. Results The survey items endorsed as 'essential' by participants included that the emergency department team help patients: 'understand signs and symptoms to watch out for' (51%); 'understand the next steps in care and why' (48%); 'understand if their medical condition suggests it is likely they will die in hospital' (47%); 'ask patients if they have a substitute decision maker and want that person told they are in the emergency department' (44%); 'understand the purpose of tests and procedures' (41%). Conclusions Symptom management, effective communication and supported decision-making should be prioritised by ED teams. Further research to establish the views of those affected by brain cancer about essential care delivered in the ED setting, and to compare these views with the quality of care that is actually delivered, is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Waller
- Health Behaviour Research Collaborative, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Carolyn Hullick
- Emergency Department, Belmont Hospital, Hunter New England Local Health District, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia.,School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Rob Sanson-Fisher
- Health Behaviour Research Collaborative, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Anne Herrmann-Johns
- Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Department for Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Professorship for Medical Sociology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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Tiah L, Chua MT, Kuan WS, Tan A, Tay E, Yash Pal R, Dong C. Perspectives towards End-of-Life Care in the Emergency Department of Tertiary Public Hospitals—A Qualitative Analysis. Medicina (B Aires) 2023; 59:medicina59030456. [PMID: 36984457 PMCID: PMC10053832 DOI: 10.3390/medicina59030456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and Objectives: End-of-life care in the emergency department (ED) is gaining importance along with the growth in the ageing population and those with chronic and terminal diseases. To explore key stakeholders’ perspectives and experiences regarding end-of-life care in the ED. Materials and Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted from November 2019 to January 2020. Study participants were recruited from the EDs of three tertiary hospitals and community care settings in Singapore through purposive sampling. Data collection included focus group discussions with 36 ED staff, 16 community healthcare professionals, and one-on-one semi-structured interviews with seven family members. Results: Three main themes and several subthemes emerged from the data analysis. (1) Reasons for ED visits were attributed to patients’ preferences, families’ decisions, limited services and capabilities in the community, and ease of access. (2) Barriers to providing end-of-life management in the ED included: conflicting priorities of staff, cramped environment, low confidence, ineffective communication, and lack of standardised workflows. (3) Discussion about continuity of end-of-life care beyond the ED uncovered issues related to delayed transfer to inpatient wards, challenging coordination of terminal discharge from the ED, and limited resources for end-of-life care in the community. Conclusions: Key stakeholders reported challenges and shared expectations in the provision of end-of-life care in the ED, which could be optimised by multidisciplinary collaborations addressing environmental factors and workflows in the ED. Equipping ED physicians and nurses with the necessary knowledge and skills is important to increase competency and confidence in managing patients attending the ED at the end of their lives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Tiah
- Accident & Emergency Department, Changi General Hospital, Singapore Health Services, Singapore 529889, Singapore
- Correspondence:
| | - Mui Teng Chua
- Emergency Medicine Department, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore 119074, Singapore
- Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore
| | - Win Sen Kuan
- Emergency Medicine Department, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore 119074, Singapore
- Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore
| | - Alina Tan
- Department of Anesthesia, National University Hospital, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119074, Singapore
| | - Eileen Tay
- Emergency Medicine Department, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore 119074, Singapore
| | - Rakhee Yash Pal
- Emergency Medicine Department, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore 119074, Singapore
| | - Chaoyan Dong
- Education Office, Sengkang General Hospital, Singapore Health Services, Singapore 554886, Singapore
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Li S, Xie J, Chen Z, Yan J, Zhao Y, Cong Y, Zhao B, Zhang H, Ge H, Ma Q, Shen N. Key elements and checklist of shared decision-making conversation on life-sustaining treatment in emergency: a multispecialty study from China. World J Emerg Med 2023; 14:380-385. [PMID: 37908803 PMCID: PMC10613793 DOI: 10.5847/wjem.j.1920-8642.2023.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Shared decision-making (SDM) has broad application in emergencies. Most published studies have focused on SDM for a certain disease or expert opinions on future research gaps without revealing the full picture or detailed guidance for clinical practice. This study is to investigate the optimal application of SDM to guide life-sustaining treatment (LST) in emergencies. METHODS This study was a prospective two-round Delphi consensus-seeking survey among multiple stakeholders at the China Consortium of Elite Teaching Hospitals for Residency Education. Participants were identified based on their expertise in medicine, law, administration, medical education, or patient advocacy. All individual items and questions in the questionnaire were scored using a 5-point Likert scale, with responses ranging from "very unimportant" (a score of 1) to "extremely important" (a score of 5). The percentages of the responses that had scores of 4-5 on the 5-point Likert scale were calculated. A Kendall's W coefficient was calculated to evaluate the consensus of experts. RESULTS A two-level framework consisting of 4 domains and 22 items as well as a ready-to-use checklist for the informed consent process for LST was established. An acceptable Kendall's W coefficient was achieved. CONCLUSION A consensus-based framework supporting SDM during LST in an emergency department can inform the implementation of guidelines for clinical interventions, research studies, medical education, and policy initiatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu Li
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Jing Xie
- Department of Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Ziyi Chen
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Jie Yan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Yuliang Zhao
- Department of Nephrology, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Yali Cong
- Institute of Medical Humanities, School of Foundational Education, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Bin Zhao
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Fourth Medical College of Peking University, Beijing 100035, China
| | - Hua Zhang
- Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Hongxia Ge
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Qingbian Ma
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Ning Shen
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
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Hanson S, Nissen SK, Nielsen D, Lassen A, Brabrand M, Forero R, Jensen JS, Ryg J. What matters and influence resuscitation preference? Development, field testing, and structural validation of items among older patients in the emergency department. BMC Geriatr 2022; 22:995. [PMID: 36564759 PMCID: PMC9783719 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-022-03707-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Decisions about resuscitation preference is an essential part of patient-centered care but a prerequisite is having an idea about which questions to ask and understand how such questions may be clustered in dimensions. The European Resuscitation Council Guidelines 2021 encourages resuscitation shared decision making in emergency care treatment plans and needs and experiences of people approaching end-of-life have been characterized within the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions. We aimed to develop, test, and validate the dimensionality of items that may influence resuscitation preference in older Emergency Department (ED) patients. METHODS A 36-item questionnaire was designed based on qualitative interviews exploring what matters and what may influence resuscitation preference and existing literature. Items were organized in physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions. Initial pilot-testing to assess content validity included ten older community-dwelling persons. Field-testing, confirmatory factor analysis and post-hoc bifactor analysis was performed on 269 older ED patients. Several model fit indexes and reliability coefficients (explained common variance (ECV) and omega values) were computed to evaluate structural validity, dimensionality, and model-based reliability. RESULTS Items were reduced from 36 to 26 in field testing. Items concerning religious beliefs from the spiritual dimension were misunderstood and deemed unimportant by older ED patients. Remaining items concerned physical functioning in daily living, coping, self-control in life, optimism, overall mood, quality of life and social participation in life. Confirmatory factor analysis displayed poor fit, whereas post-hoc bifactor analysis displayed satisfactory goodness of fit (χ2 =562.335 (p<0.001); root mean square error of approximation=0.063 (90% CI [0.055;0.070])). The self-assessed independence may be the bifactor explaining what matters to older ED patients' resuscitation preference. CONCLUSIONS We developed a questionnaire and investigated the dimensionality of what matters and may influence resuscitation preference among older ED patients. We could not confirm a spiritual dimension. Also, in bifactor analysis the expected dimensions were overruled by an overall explanatory general factor suggesting independence to be of particular importance for clinicians practicing resuscitation discussions in EDs. Studies to investigate how independence may relate to patients' choice of resuscitation preference are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stine Hanson
- grid.10825.3e0000 0001 0728 0170Department of Regional Health Research, Center-Esbjerg, University of Southern Denmark, Finsensgade 35, 6700 Esbjerg, Denmark
| | - Søren Kabell Nissen
- grid.10825.3e0000 0001 0728 0170Department of Regional Health Research, Center-Esbjerg, University of Southern Denmark, Finsensgade 35, 6700 Esbjerg, Denmark
| | - Dorthe Nielsen
- grid.7143.10000 0004 0512 5013Center for Global Health, Migrant Health Clinic, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, J.B. Winsløws Vej 19, 5000 Odense, Denmark ,grid.7143.10000 0004 0512 5013Geriatric Research Unit, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark ,grid.10825.3e0000 0001 0728 0170Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, J.B. Winsløws Vej 19, 5000 Odense, Denmark
| | - Annmarie Lassen
- grid.7143.10000 0004 0512 5013Department of Emergency Medicine, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark ,grid.10825.3e0000 0001 0728 0170Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, J.B. Winsløws Vej 19, 5000 Odense, Denmark
| | - Mikkel Brabrand
- grid.414576.50000 0001 0469 7368Department of Emergency, Medicine, Hospital of South-west Jutland, Esbjerg, Denmark ,grid.10825.3e0000 0001 0728 0170University of Southern Denmark, Institute of Regional Health Research, Center-Esbjerg, University of Southern Denmark, Finsensgade 35, 6700 Esbjerg, Denmark
| | - Roberto Forero
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Simpson Centre for Health Services Research, University of NSW, Liverpool BC,, NSW 1871 Australia ,grid.415994.40000 0004 0527 9653Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool BC, NSW 1871 Australia
| | - Jens Søndergaard Jensen
- grid.154185.c0000 0004 0512 597XThe Research Clinic for Functional Disorders and psychosomatics, Aarhus University Hospital. Nordre Ringgade, 1,8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jesper Ryg
- grid.7143.10000 0004 0512 5013Geriatric Research Unit, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark ,grid.10825.3e0000 0001 0728 0170Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, J.B. Winsløws Vej 19, 5000 Odense, Denmark
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Briedé S, de Winter MA, van Charldorp TC, Kaasjager KAH. The effect of physician training and patient education on the discussion of care decisions at the internal medicine outpatient clinic. BMC Health Serv Res 2022; 22:1569. [PMID: 36550522 PMCID: PMC9773541 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-022-08901-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Care decision discussions are intended to align treatment with the patient's wishes, goals and values. To overcome the numerous barriers to such discussions, physicians as well as patients need tailored support. We evaluate the effect of a physicians' training and a conversation aid for patients about care decisions on patient and physician outcomes. METHODS At the internal medicine outpatient clinic of the University Medical Centre Utrecht, a 1:1 randomized, parallel-group study (patient conversation aid) was combined with a pre-post intervention (physicians' training) design. Primary outcome was patient satisfaction, secondary outcomes were patient-doctor relationship, shared-decision-making, doctor preparedness and patient appreciation of the conversation aid. RESULTS Between October 2018 and February 2020 11 physicians (36% residents, 73% female) and 185 patients (median age 58 years (interquartile range (IQR) 50-68), 60% male) participated. Only 28% of the patients reported a care decision discussion during the consultation. We found no effect of the interventions on patient satisfaction (effect sizes -0.14 (95% confidence interval (CI) -0.56-0.27) for conversation aid; 0.04 (95% CI -0.40-0.48) for physician's training), nor on the patient-doctor relationship or shared-decision-making. However, physicians felt more prepared to discuss care decisions after training (median 3 (IQR 1-4) vs 1 (IQR 0-3), p = 0.015). Patients assessed the conversation aid informative and gave an overall mark of median 7 (IQR 7-8). CONCLUSIONS First steps towards fruitful discussions about care decisions were made: patients considered the conversation aid informative and physicians felt better prepared to discuss care decisions after training. The low number of care decision conversations patients reported shows exactly how important it is to focus on interventions that facilitate these discussions, for both the patient and physician. Further work needs to be done to establish the best way to empower patients and physicians. TRIAL REGISTRATION Dutch trial register, trial 6998 (NTR 7188), registered 04/05/2018, https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/6998 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Briedé
- grid.7692.a0000000090126352Department of Internal Medicine and Dermatology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Maria A. de Winter
- grid.7692.a0000000090126352Department of Internal Medicine and Dermatology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Tessa C. van Charldorp
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Department of Languages, Literature and Communication, Faculty of Humanities, Utrecht University, Trans 10, 3512 JK Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Karin A. H. Kaasjager
- grid.7692.a0000000090126352Department of Internal Medicine and Dermatology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Stoltenberg MJ, Kennedy M, Rico J, Russell M, Petrillo LA, Engel KG, Kamdar M, Ouchi K, Wang DH, Bernacki RH, Biese K, Aaronson E. Developing a novel integrated geriatric palliative care consultation program for the emergency department. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open 2022; 3:e12860. [PMCID: PMC9742608 DOI: 10.1002/emp2.12860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
With the aging of our population, older adults are living longer with multiple chronic conditions, frailty, and life‐limiting illnesses, which creates specific challenges for emergency departments (EDs). Older adults and those with serious illnesses have high rates of ED use and hospitalization, and the emergency care they receive may be discordant with their goals and values. In response, new models of care delivery have begun to emerge to address both geriatric and palliative care needs in the ED. However, these programs are typically siloed from one another despite significant overlap. To develop a new combined model, we assembled stakeholders and thought leaders at the intersection of emergency medicine, palliative care, and geriatrics and used a consensus process to define elements of an ideal model of a combined palliative care and geriatric intervention in the ED. This article provides a brief history of geriatric and palliative care integration in EDs and presents the integrated geriatric and palliative care model developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J. Stoltenberg
- Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric MedicineMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA,Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Maura Kennedy
- Department of Emergency MedicineMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA,Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Janet Rico
- Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric MedicineMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA,Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Matthew Russell
- Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric MedicineMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA,Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Laura A. Petrillo
- Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric MedicineMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA,Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Kirsten G. Engel
- Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric MedicineMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA,Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Mihir Kamdar
- Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric MedicineMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA,Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Kei Ouchi
- Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA,Department of Emergency MedicineBrigham and Women's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA,Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative CareDana‐Farber Cancer InstituteBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - David H. Wang
- Division of Palliative MedicineScripps HealthSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Rachelle H. Bernacki
- Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA,Ariadne LabsBrigham and Women's Hospital & Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonMassachusettsUSA,Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative CareDana‐Farber Cancer InstituteBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Kevin Biese
- West Health InstituteLa JollaCaliforniaUSA,Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of North CarolinaChapel HillNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Emily Aaronson
- Department of Emergency MedicineMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA,Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
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Cancer-related emergency and urgent care: expanding the research agenda. EMERGENCY CANCER CARE 2022; 1:4. [PMID: 35844668 PMCID: PMC9194780 DOI: 10.1186/s44201-022-00005-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of review Cancer-related emergency department (ED) visits often result in higher hospital admission rates than non-cancer visits. It has been estimated many of these costly hospital admissions can be prevented, yet urgent care clinics and EDs lack cancer-specific care resources to support the needs of this complex population. Implementing effective approaches across different care settings and populations to minimize ED and urgent care visits improves oncologic complication management, and coordinating follow-up care will be particularly important as the population of cancer patients and survivors continues to increase. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Office of Emergency Care (OECR) convened a workshop in December 2021, “Cancer-related Emergency and Urgent Care: Prevention, Management, and Care Coordination” to highlight progress, knowledge gaps, and research opportunities. This report describes the current landscape of cancer-related urgent and emergency care and includes research recommendations from workshop participants to decrease the risk of oncologic complications, improve their management, and enhance coordination of care. Recent findings Since 2014, NCI and OECR have collaborated to support research in cancer-related emergency care. Workshop participants recommended a number of promising research opportunities, as well as key considerations for designing and conducting research in this area. Opportunities included better characterizing unscheduled care services, identifying those at higher risk for such care, developing care delivery models to minimize unplanned events and enhance their care, recognizing cancer prevention and screening opportunities in the ED, improving management of specific cancer-related presentations, and conducting goals of care conversations. Summary Significant progress has been made over the past 7 years with the creation of the Comprehensive Oncologic Emergency Research Network, broad involvement of the emergency medicine and oncology communities, establishing a proof-of-concept observational study, and NCI and OECR’s efforts to support this area of research. However, critical gaps remain.
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Aaronson EL, Wright RJ, Ritchie CS, Grudzen CR, Ankuda CK, Bowman JK, Kuntz JG, Ouchi K, George N, Jubanyik K, Bright LE, Bickel K, Isaacs E, Petrillo LA, Carpenter C, Goett R, LaPointe L, Owens D, Manfredi R, Quest T. Mapping the future for research in emergency medicine palliative care: A research roadmap. Acad Emerg Med 2022; 29:963-973. [PMID: 35368129 DOI: 10.1111/acem.14496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The intersection of emergency medicine (EM) and palliative care (PC) has been recognized as an essential area of focus, with evidence suggesting that increased integration improves outcomes. This has resulted in increased research in EM PC. No current framework exists to help guide investigation and innovation. OBJECTIVE The objective was to convene a working group to develop a roadmap that would help provide focus and prioritization for future research. METHODS Participants were identified based on clinical, operation, policy, and research expertise in both EM and PC and spanned physician, nursing, social work, and patient perspectives. The research roadmap setting process consisted of three distinct phases that were time staggered over 12 months and facilitated through three live video convenings, asynchronous input via an online document, and a series of smaller video convenings of work groups focused on specific topics. RESULTS Gaps in the literature were identified and informed the four key areas for future research. Consensus was reached on these domains and the associated research questions in each domain to help guide future study. The key domains included work focused on the value imperative for PC in the emergency setting, models of care delivery, disparities, and measurement of impact and efficacy. Additionally, the group identified key methodological considerations for doing work at the intersection of EM and PC. CONCLUSIONS There are several key domains and associated questions that can help guide future research in ED PC. Focus on these areas, and answering these questions, offers the potential to improve the emergency care of patients with PC needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily L Aaronson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Christine S Ritchie
- Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Mongan Institute Center for Aging and Serious Illness, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Corita R Grudzen
- Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health/Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Claire K Ankuda
- Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jason K Bowman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joanne G Kuntz
- Department of Palliative and Supportive Care, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Kei Ouchi
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Naomi George
- Department of Emergency Medicine and Division of Adult Critical Care, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Karen Jubanyik
- Emergency Department, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Leah E Bright
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kathleen Bickel
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Eric Isaacs
- Emergency Department, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Laura A Petrillo
- Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Christopher Carpenter
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Rebecca Goett
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Lauren LaPointe
- Department of Social Work, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Darrell Owens
- University of Washington Medical Center, UW School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Rita Manfredi
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Tammie Quest
- Department of Palliative and Supportive Care, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Gettel CJ, Venkatesh AK, Dowd H, Hwang U, Ferrigno RF, Reid EA, Tinetti ME. A Qualitative Study of "What Matters" to Older Adults in the Emergency Department. West J Emerg Med 2022; 23:579-588. [PMID: 35980413 PMCID: PMC9391017 DOI: 10.5811/westjem.2022.4.56115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The "4Ms" model - What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility - is increasingly gaining attention in age-friendly health systems, yet a feasible approach to identifying what matters to older adults in the emergency department (ED) is lacking. Adapting the "What Matters" questions to the ED setting, we sought to describe the concerns and desired outcomes of both older adult patients seeking ED care and their treating clinicians. METHODS We conducted 46 dyadic semi-structured interviews of cognitively intact older adults and their treating clinicians. We used the "What Matters" conversation guide to explore patients' 1) concerns and 2) desired outcomes. We then asked analogous questions to each patient's treating clinician regarding the patient's priorities. Interviews were professionally transcribed and coded using an inductive approach of thematic analysis to identify emergent themes. RESULTS Interviews with older adults lasted a mean of three minutes, with a range of 1-8 minutes. Regarding patients' concerns, five themes emerged from older adults: 1) concern through a family member or outpatient clinician recommendation; 2) no concern, with a high degree of trust in the healthcare system; 3) concerns regarding symptom cause identification; 4) concerns regarding symptom resolution; and 5) concerns regarding preservation of their current status. Regarding desired outcomes, five priority themes emerged among older adults: 1) obtaining a diagnosis; 2) returning to their home environment; 3) reducing or resolving symptoms; 4) maintaining self-care and independence; and 5) gaining reassurance. Responding to what they believed mattered most to older adult patients, ED clinicians believed that older adults were concerned primarily about symptom cause identification and resolution and primarily desired a return to the home environment and symptom reduction. CONCLUSION This work identifies concerns and desired outcomes of both older adult patients seeking ED care and their treating clinicians as well as the feasibility of incorporating the "What Matters" questions within ED clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron J. Gettel
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale School of Medicine, Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Arjun K. Venkatesh
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale School of Medicine, Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Hollie Dowd
- Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Ula Hwang
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Rockman F. Ferrigno
- Yale New Haven Health – Bridgeport Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, Bridgeport, Connecticut
| | - Eleanor A. Reid
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Mary E. Tinetti
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale School of Public Health, Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, New Haven, Connecticut
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Briedé S, van Charldorp TC, Kaasjager KAH. Discussing care decisions at the internal medicine outpatient clinic: A conversation analysis. PATIENT EDUCATION AND COUNSELING 2022; 105:2045-2052. [PMID: 34961652 DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2021.11.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Revised: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Explore how often, when and how care decisions are discussed during consultations at an internal medicine outpatient clinic, and what we can learn from these observations. METHODS Qualitative analysis of 150 video-taped consultations. Consultations involving a discussion of care decisions were analyzed using conversation analysis. RESULTS 1) Only 21 of the 150 consultations involved a discussion of care decisions; 2) As there is no destined phase for the introduction of the topic of care decisions, the topic is most often introduced at the end of the phase 'treatment and course of the disease'; 3) A lot of interactional effort is needed to create common ground and make relevance clear with extensive justification. Hesitation markers, repairs and hypothetical talk show the precariousness of the topic. CONCLUSIONS Three dilemma's need to be addressed: 1) a slot has to be created to introduce the topic of care decisions; 2) common ground has to be created, possibly over time; 3) the paradox of framing the topic as relevant 'in the future' but 'needs to be discussed now' needs to be attended to. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS We recommend that physician training should address the three dilemmas. Future research should focus on how to do so.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Briedé
- Department of Internal Medicine and Dermatology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Tessa C van Charldorp
- Department of Languages, Literature and Communication, Faculty of Humanities, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Karin A H Kaasjager
- Department of Internal Medicine and Dermatology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Kim JS, Lee SY, Lee MS, Yoo SH, Shin J, Choi W, Kim Y, Han HS, Hong J, Keam B, Heo DS. Aggressiveness of care in the last days of life in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital in Korea. Palliat Care 2022; 21:105. [PMID: 35668487 PMCID: PMC9170493 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-022-00988-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background High-quality end-of-life (EOL) care requires both comfort care and the maintenance of dignity. However, delivering EOL in the emergency department (ED) is often challenging. Therefore, we aimed to investigate characteristics of EOL care for dying patients in the ED. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who died of disease in the ED at a tertiary hospital in Korea between January 2018 and December 2020. We examined medical care within the last 24 h of life and advance care planning (ACP) status. Results Of all 222 disease-related mortalities, 140 (63.1%) were men, while 141 (63.5%) had cancer. The median age was 74 years. As for critical care, 61 (27.5%) patients received cardiopulmonary resuscitation, while 80 (36.0%) received mechanical ventilation. The absence of serious illness (p = 0.011) and the lack of an advance statement (p < 0.001) were both independently associated with the receipt of more critical care. Only 70 (31.5%) patients received comfort care through opioids. Younger patients (< 75 years) (p = 0.002) and those who completed life-sustaining treatment legal forms (p = 0.001) received more comfort care. While EOL discussions were initiated in 150 (67.6%) cases, the palliative care team was involved only in 29 (13.1%). Conclusions Patients in the ED underwent more aggressive care and less comfort care in a state of imminent death. To ensure better EOL care, physicians should minimize redundant evaluations and promptly introduce ACP. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12904-022-00988-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung Sun Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sun Young Lee
- Public Healthcare Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
| | - Min Sung Lee
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
| | - Shin Hye Yoo
- Center for Palliative Care and Clinical Ethics, Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Korea.
| | - Jeongmi Shin
- Center for Palliative Care and Clinical Ethics, Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Korea
| | - Wonho Choi
- Center for Palliative Care and Clinical Ethics, Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Korea
| | - Yejin Kim
- Center for Palliative Care and Clinical Ethics, Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Korea
| | - Hyung Sook Han
- Center for Palliative Care and Clinical Ethics, Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Korea
| | - Jinui Hong
- Center for Palliative Care and Clinical Ethics, Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Korea
| | - Bhumsuk Keam
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.,Center for Palliative Care and Clinical Ethics, Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Korea
| | - Dae Seog Heo
- Patient-Centered Clinical Research Coordinating Center, National Evidence-Based Healthcare Collaborating Agency, Seoul, Korea
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Rueegg M, Nissen SK, Brabrand M, Kaeppeli T, Dreher T, Carpenter CR, Bingisser R, Nickel CH. The clinical frailty scale predicts 1-year mortality in emergency department patients aged 65 years and older. Acad Emerg Med 2022; 29:572-580. [PMID: 35138670 PMCID: PMC9320818 DOI: 10.1111/acem.14460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Objective To validate the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) for prediction of 1‐year all‐cause mortality in the emergency department (ED) and compare its performance to the Emergency Severity Index (ESI). Methods Prospective cohort study at the ED of a tertiary care center in Northwestern Switzerland. All patients aged ≥65 years were included from March 18 to May 20, 2019, after informed consent. Frailty status was assessed using CFS, excluding level 9 (palliative). Acuity level was assessed using ESI. Both CFS and ESI were adjusted for age, sex and presenting condition in multivariable logistic regression. Prognostic performance was assessed for discrimination and calibration separately. Estimates were internally validated by Bootstrapping. Restricted mean survival time (RMST) was determined for all levels of CFS. Results In the final study population of 2191 patients, 1‐year all‐cause mortality was 17% (n = 372). RMST values ranged from 219 days for CFS 8 to 365 days for CFS 1. The adjusted CFS model had an area under receiver operating characteristic of 0.767 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.741–0.793), compared to 0.703 (95% CI: 0.673–0.732) for the adjusted ESI model. Conclusion The CFS predicts 1‐year all‐cause mortality for older ED patients and predicts survival time in a graded manner. The CFS is superior to the ESI when adjusted for age, sex, and presenting condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Rueegg
- Emergency Department University Hospital Basel, University of Basel Basel Switzerland
| | - Søren Kabell Nissen
- Institute of Regional Health Research, Centre South‐West Jutland University of Southern Denmark Odense Denmark
| | - Mikkel Brabrand
- Institute of Regional Health Research, Centre South‐West Jutland University of Southern Denmark Odense Denmark
- Department of Emergency Medicine Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark Odense Denmark
| | - Tobias Kaeppeli
- Emergency Department University Hospital Basel, University of Basel Basel Switzerland
| | - Thomas Dreher
- Emergency Department University Hospital Basel, University of Basel Basel Switzerland
| | - Christopher R. Carpenter
- Department of Emergency MedicineWashington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, Emergency Care Research CoreSt. LouisMichiganUSA
| | - Roland Bingisser
- Emergency Department University Hospital Basel, University of Basel Basel Switzerland
| | - Christian H. Nickel
- Emergency Department University Hospital Basel, University of Basel Basel Switzerland
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Yamarik RL, Tan A, Brody AA, Curtis J, Chiu L, Bouillon-Minois JB, Grudzen CR. Nurse-Led Telephonic Palliative Care: A Case-Based Series of a Novel Model of Palliative Care Delivery. J Hosp Palliat Nurs 2022; 24:E3-E9. [PMID: 35149656 DOI: 10.1097/njh.0000000000000850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Americans near the end of life experience high rates of nonbeneficial, burdensome, and preventable hospital-based care. If patients' goals of care are unknown or unclear, they have higher rates of hospitalization at the end of life. The demand for palliative care has grown exponentially because of its impact on quality of life, symptom burden, and resource use, requiring the development of new palliative care models. Nurses' holistic outlook and patient-centered focus make them ideal to deliver telephonic palliative care. This article discusses 4 cases delivered by a nurse-led telephonic palliative care program, a part of the Emergency Medicine Palliative Care Access project, which is a randomized controlled trial comparing outpatient palliative care with nurse-led telephonic case management after an emergency department visit. Telephonic nurses discuss patients' goals, fears, hopes, and concerns regarding their illness and its trajectory that inform decisions for future interventions and treatments. In addition, they share this information with the patients' surrogate decision-makers and clinicians to facilitate care coordination and symptom management. For seriously ill patients, nurses' abilities and expertise, as well as the difficulties of providing care through in-person models of palliative care delivery, make a nurse-led telephonic model an optimal option.
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End of life care pathways in the Emergency Department and their effects on patient and health service outcomes: An integrative review. Int Emerg Nurs 2022; 61:101153. [PMID: 35240435 DOI: 10.1016/j.ienj.2022.101153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION End of life (EOL) care in the Emergency Department (ED) requires focused, person-centred care to meet the needs of this vulnerable cohort of patients. METHODS An integrative review of the literature using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline was conducted. Studies were included if they were primary research relating to patients in the ED at the EOL, and/or evaluated EOL care pathways in the ED. Databases OVID Emcare, OVID Medline, and Scopus were searched from 1966-September 2021; followed by screening and appraisal. Articles were compared and data grouped into categories. RESULTS Eleven research articles were included generating three categories for EOL care in ED. 1) tools/criteria to identify patients who may require EOL care in ED; 2) processes for providing EOL care, and 3) implementation methods/frameworks to support the uptake of EOL care processes. CONCLUSION There were some commonalities in the criteria used to identify patients who may be at their EOL and the interventions implemented thereafter. There was no standardised process for screening for or treating EOL care needs in the ED. Further research is required to determine the impact that EOL care pathways have on patient and health service outcomes to inform strategies for future policy development.
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36
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Huh JY, Matsuoka Y, Kinoshita H, Ikenoue T, Yamamoto Y, Ariyoshi K. Premorbid Clinical Frailty Score and 30‐day mortality among older adults in the emergency department. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open 2022; 3:e12677. [PMID: 35224550 PMCID: PMC8847731 DOI: 10.1002/emp2.12677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives The association between frailty and short‐term prognosis has not been established in critically ill older adults presenting to the emergency department. We sought to examine the association between premorbid frailty and 30‐day mortality in this patient population. Methods This is a retrospective observational study on older adults aged over 75 who were triaged as Level 1 resuscitation with subsequent admissions to intermediate units or intensive care units (ICUs) in a single critical care center, from January to December 2019. We excluded patients with out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest or those transferred from other hospitals. Frailty was evaluated by the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) from the patients’ chart reviews. The primary outcome was 30‐day mortality, and we examined the association between frailty scored on the CFS and 30‐day mortality using a multivariable logistic regression model with CFS 1–4 as a reference. Results A total of 544 patients, median age: 82 years (interquartile rang 78 to 87), were included in the study. Of these, 29% were in shock and 33% were in respiratory failure. The overall 30‐day mortality was 15.1%. The adjusted risk difference (95% confidence interval [CI]) in mortality for CFS 5, CFS 6, and CFS 7–9 was 6.3% (‐3.4 to 15.9), 11.2% (0.4 to 22.0), and 17.7% (5.3 to 30.1), respectively; and the adjusted risk ratio (95% CI) was 1.45 (0.87 to 2.41), 1.85 (1.13 to 3.03), and 2.44 (1.50 to 3.96), respectively. Conclusion The risk of 30‐day mortality increased as frailty advanced in critically ill older adults. Given this high risk of short‐term outcomes, ED clinicians should consider goals of care conversations carefully to avoid unwanted medical care for these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Young Huh
- Department of Emergency Medicine Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
| | - Yoshinori Matsuoka
- Department of Emergency Medicine Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
- Department of Healthcare Epidemiology Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
| | - Hiroki Kinoshita
- Department of Emergency Medicine Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
| | - Tatsuyoshi Ikenoue
- Department of Human Health Science Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
| | - Yosuke Yamamoto
- Department of Healthcare Epidemiology Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
| | - Koichi Ariyoshi
- Department of Emergency Medicine Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
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Kirkland SW, Yang EH, Clua MG, Kruhlak M, Villa-Roel C, Elwi A, O'Neill B, Duggan S, Brisebois A, Stewart DA, Rowe BH. Comparison of the Management and Short-Term Outcomes between Patients with Advanced Cancer and Other End-of-Life Conditions Presenting to Two Canadian Emergency Departments. J Palliat Med 2022; 25:915-924. [PMID: 35119311 DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2021.0519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: An increasing number of patients with end-of-life (EOL) conditions, particularly those with advanced cancer, are presenting to the emergency department (ED). Objectives: To assess the characteristics, management and short-term outcomes of ED patients with advanced cancer compared to patients with other EOL conditions. Methodology/Design: A secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study. Setting/Participants: Volunteer emergency physicians in two Canadian EDs identified presentations for advanced cancer and other EOL conditions with the aid of a modified screening tool March-August 2018. Results: Among the 663 presentations by patients with EOL conditions, 272 (41%) presented with advanced cancer. The majority of presentations for advanced cancer (81%) or other EOL conditions (77%) were by patients with unmet palliative care (PC) needs. Patients with advanced cancer were significantly less likely to have active goals of care (GOC) documented on their charts (53% vs. 75%; p < 0.001). While no significant differences were found between the groups, the majority of presentations involved imaging, investigations, consultations, and hospitalization. Presentations for advanced cancer were more likely to receive a postdischarge referral (38% vs. 23%; p < 0.001). Referrals to PC consultations or postdischarge referrals were infrequent. Regression analysis found that patients with advanced cancer were associated with shorter length of stay (LOS). Conclusions: The majority of presentations for advanced cancer or other EOL conditions involved significant resource use. Patients with cancer experienced shorter LOS; however, had less documentation of GOC and gaps in referrals to PC services were identified. Interventions should be explored to promote early GOC discussions and PC referrals in this patient group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott W Kirkland
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Esther H Yang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Miriam Garrido Clua
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Maureen Kruhlak
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Cristina Villa-Roel
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Adam Elwi
- Department of Medicine and Palliative Care, Grey Nun Hospital, Covenant Health, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Barbara O'Neill
- Department of Medicine and Palliative Care, Grey Nun Hospital, Covenant Health, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Shelley Duggan
- Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Amanda Brisebois
- Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Douglas A Stewart
- Department of Oncology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Brian H Rowe
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Gaffney L, Jonsson A, Judge C, Costello M, O’Donnell J, O’Caoimh R. Using the "Surprise Question" to Predict Frailty and Healthcare Outcomes among Older Adults Attending the Emergency Department. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19031709. [PMID: 35162732 PMCID: PMC8834777 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The “surprise question” (SQ) predicts the need for palliative care. Its predictive validity for adverse healthcare outcomes and its association with frailty among older people attending the emergency department (ED) are unknown. We conducted a secondary analysis of a prospective study of consecutive patients aged ≥70 attending a university hospital’s ED. The SQ was scored by doctors before an independent comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). Outcomes included length of stay (LOS), frailty determined by CGA and one-year mortality. The SQ was available for 191 patients, whose median age was 79 ± 9. In all, 56/191 (29%) screened SQ positive. SQ positive patients were frailer; the median clinical frailty score was 6/9 (compared to 4/9, p < 0.001); they had longer LOS (p = 0.008); and they had higher mortality (p < 0.001). Being SQ positive was associated with 2.6 times greater odds of admission and 8.9 times odds of frailty. After adjustment for age, sex, frailty, co-morbidity and presenting complaint, patients who were SQ positive had significantly reduced survival times (hazard ratio 5.6; 95% CI: 1.39–22.3, p = 0.015). Almost one-third of older patients attending ED were identified as SQ positive. These were frailer and more likely to be admitted, have reduced survival times and have prolonged LOS. The SQ is useful to quickly stratify older patients likely to experience poor outcomes in ED.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Gaffney
- Department of Geriatric and Stroke Medicine, University Hospital Galway, Newcastle Rd, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland; (L.G.); (C.J.); (M.C.)
- Department of Palliative Care Medicine, University Hospital Galway, Newcastle Rd, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland
| | - Agnes Jonsson
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Mercy University Hospital, Grenville Place, T12 WE28 Cork, Ireland;
| | - Conor Judge
- Department of Geriatric and Stroke Medicine, University Hospital Galway, Newcastle Rd, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland; (L.G.); (C.J.); (M.C.)
- Department of Palliative Care Medicine, University Hospital Galway, Newcastle Rd, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland
| | - Maria Costello
- Department of Geriatric and Stroke Medicine, University Hospital Galway, Newcastle Rd, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland; (L.G.); (C.J.); (M.C.)
- Department of Palliative Care Medicine, University Hospital Galway, Newcastle Rd, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland
| | - John O’Donnell
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University Hospital Galway, Newcastle Rd, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland;
| | - Rónán O’Caoimh
- Department of Geriatric and Stroke Medicine, University Hospital Galway, Newcastle Rd, H91 YR71 Galway, Ireland; (L.G.); (C.J.); (M.C.)
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Mercy University Hospital, Grenville Place, T12 WE28 Cork, Ireland;
- Correspondence: or
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Zhang YH, De Silva MWS, Allen JC, Lateef F, Omar EB. End-of-Life Communication in the Emergency Department: The Emergency Physicians' Perspectives. J Emerg Trauma Shock 2022; 15:29-34. [PMID: 35431486 PMCID: PMC9006716 DOI: 10.4103/jets.jets_80_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: End-of-life (EOL) conditions are commonly encountered by emergency physicians (EP). We aim to explore EPs’ experience and perspectives toward EOL discussions in acute settings. Methods: A qualitative survey was conducted among EPs in three tertiary institutions. Data on demographics, EOL knowledge, conflict management strategies, comfort level, and perceived barriers to EOL discussions were collected. Data analysis was performed using SPSS and SAS. Results: Of 63 respondents, 40 (63.5%) were male. Respondents comprised 22 senior residents/registrars, 9 associate consultants, 22 consultants, and 10 senior consultants. The median duration of emergency department practice was 8 (interquartile range: 6–10) years. A majority (79.3%) reported conducting EOL discussions daily to weekly, with most (90.5%) able to obtain general agreement with families and patients regarding goals of care. Top barriers were communications with family/clinicians, lack of understanding of palliative care, and lack of rapport with patients. 38 (60.3%) deferred discussions to other colleagues (e.g., intensivists), 10 (15.9%) involved more family members, and 13 (20.6%) employed a combination of approaches. Physician's comfort level in discussing EOL issues also differed with physician seniority and patient type. There was a positive correlation between the mean general comfort level when discussing EOL and the seniority of the EPs up till consultancy. However, the comfort level dropped among senior consultants as compared to consultants. EPs were most comfortable discussing EOL of patients with a known terminal illness and least comfortable in cases of sudden death. Conclusions: Formal training and standardized framework would be useful to enhance the competency of EPs in conducting EOL discussions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Helen Zhang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
| | | | | | - Fatimah Lateef
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
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Liberman T, Roofeh R, Chin J, Chin K, Razack B, Aquilino J, Herod SH, Amato T. Remote Advance Care Planning in the Emergency Department During COVID-19 Disaster: Program Development and Initial Evaluation. J Emerg Nurs 2022; 48:22-31. [PMID: 34649729 PMCID: PMC8481094 DOI: 10.1016/j.jen.2021.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic caused an unprecedented surge of patients presenting to emergency departments and forced hospitals to adapt to provide care to patients safely and effectively. The purpose here was to disseminate a novel program developed under disaster conditions to address advance care planning communications. METHODS A program development and initial evaluation was conducted for the Remote Goals of Care program, which was created for families to communicate patient goals of care and reduce responsibilities of those in the emergency department. RESULTS This program facilitated 64 remote goals of care conversation, with 72% of conversations taking place remotely with families of patients who were unable to participate. These conversations included discussions of patient preferences for care, including code status, presence of caregivers or surrogates, understanding of diagnosis and prognosis, and hospice care. Initially, this program was available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, with gradual reduction in hours as needs shifted. Seven nurses who were unable to work in corona-positive environments but were able to continue working remotely were utilized. Lessons learned include the need for speed and agility of response and the benefit of established relationships between traditionally siloed specialties. Additional considerations include available technology for patients and families and expanding the documentation abilities for remote nurses. A logic model was developed to support potential program replication at other sites. DISCUSSION Upon initial evaluation, Remote Goals of Care Program was well received and demonstrated promise in decanting the responsibility of goals of care discussions from the emergency department to a calmer, remote setting. In future iterations, additional services and technology adjustments can be made to make this program more accessible to more patients and families. Other facilities may wish to replicate our Remote Goals of Care Program described here.
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Short Communication: Opportunities and Challenges for Early Person-Centered Care for Older Patients in Emergency Settings. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182312526. [PMID: 34886252 PMCID: PMC8656596 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182312526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The provision of person-centered care (PCC) for older adults in emergency settings is important. This short communication explores the complexity of providing comprehensive PCC for older adults in emergency settings, based on a synthesis of existing literature and empirical data from a small-scale case study on the potential of improving patient engagement in a Danish emergency department (ED). Our findings highlight overall positive attitudes towards PCC, as patient engagement is perceived as important and feasible during the waiting hours that older patients experience. However, the key challenges include barriers in organizational structures and cross-sectoral care coordination. We conclude that staff education, optimized care coordination across sectors, and increased involvement of geriatric nurses may enhance the provision of PCC for older, complex adults in EDs. We further conclude that future research into the feasibility and effects of structured approaches for providing PCC in EDs is needed, including exploration of organizational models for PCC.
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Hughes K, Achauer S, Baker EF, Knowles HC, Clayborne EP, Goett RR, Moussa M. Addressing end-of-life care in the chronically ill: Conversations in the emergency department. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open 2021; 2:e12569. [PMID: 34632450 PMCID: PMC8486416 DOI: 10.1002/emp2.12569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients present to the emergency department in various stages of chronic illness. Advance directives (ADs) aid emergency physicians in making treatment decisions, but only a minority of Americans have completed an AD, and the percentage of those who have discussed their end-of-life wishes may be even lower. This article addresses the use of common ADs and roadblocks to their use from the perspectives of families, patients, and physicians. Cases to examine new approaches to optimizing end-of-life conversations in patients who are chronically ill, such as the Improving Palliative Care in Emergency Medicine Project, a decision-making framework that opens discussion for patients to gain understanding and determine preferences, and the Brief Negotiated Interview, a 7-minute, scripted, motivational interview that determines willingness for behavior change and initiates care planning, are used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarina Hughes
- University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life SciencesToledoOhioUSA
| | - Samantha Achauer
- University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life SciencesToledoOhioUSA
| | | | | | - Elizabeth P. Clayborne
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Maryland School of MedicineBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | | | - Mohamad Moussa
- Emergency MedicineUniversity of Toledo College of Medicine and Life SciencesToledoOhioUSA
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Yoon J, Son H. Factors Associated with School Nurses' Triage Competency in South Korea. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18168279. [PMID: 34444029 PMCID: PMC8392305 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18168279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the factors associated with triage competency among school nurses in South Korea. Using a convenience sampling method, 386 school nurses employed in elementary, middle, or high schools completed a cross-sectional survey that included a modified version of the Triage Competency Scale for emergency room nurses. Information regarding experience working in schools and hospitals, education level, school types, age, emergency nursing care certifications, school locations, and serious emergency experience at school was collected. Analyses were performed using SPSS version 25.0, independent t-tests, analyses of variance, Spearman’s correlation, and ordinal logistic regression. Triage competency was higher for school nurses who were employed in metropolitan regions (odds ratio [OR] = 1.63, p = 0.017) and had serious emergency experience (OR = 1.76, p = 0.008). As the participants’ experience at schools or hospitals increased by one year, their triage competency score increased by 2% (OR = 1.02, p = 0.037) and 14% (OR = 1.14, p < 0.001), respectively. These findings could be used to develop policies and educational programs that promote school nurses’ triage competency. Further, they suggest the importance of establishing an organizational support system to develop guidelines and a feedback system to improve school nurses’ triage competency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaehee Yoon
- Wolchon Elementary School, 132, Mokdongjungang-ro, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul 07980, Korea;
| | - Heesook Son
- Red Cross College of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, Korea
- Correspondence:
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Loffredo AJ, Chan GK, Wang DH, Goett R, Isaacs ED, Pearl R, Rosenberg M, Aberger K, Lamba S. United States Best Practice Guidelines for Primary Palliative Care in the Emergency Department. Ann Emerg Med 2021; 78:658-669. [PMID: 34353647 DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2021.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The growing palliative care needs of emergency department (ED) patients in the United States have motivated the development of ED primary palliative care principles. An expert panel convened to develop best practice guidelines for ED primary palliative care to help guide frontline ED clinicians based on available evidence and consensus opinion of the panel. Results include recommendations for screening and assessment of palliative care needs, ED management of palliative care needs, goals of care conversations, ED palliative care and hospice consults, and transitions of care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J Loffredo
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.
| | - Garrett K Chan
- Department of Physiologic Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - David H Wang
- Division of Palliative Medicine, Scripps Health, San Diego, CA
| | - Rebecca Goett
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ
| | - Eric D Isaacs
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - Rachel Pearl
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Mark Rosenberg
- Department of Emergency Medicine, St Joseph's Health, Paterson and Wayne, NJ
| | - Kate Aberger
- Division of Palliative Medicine and Geriatrics, St Joseph's Health, Paterson, NJ; Department of Emergency Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, Somerville, NJ
| | - Sangeeta Lamba
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ
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45
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Ouchi K, Liu S, Tonellato D, Keschner YG, Kennedy M, Levine DM. Home hospital as a disposition for older adults from the emergency department: Benefits and opportunities. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open 2021; 2:e12517. [PMID: 34322684 PMCID: PMC8295243 DOI: 10.1002/emp2.12517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The $1 trillion industry of acute hospital care in the United States is shifting from inside the walls of the hospital to patient homes. To tackle the limitations of current hospital care in the United States, on November 25, 2020, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that the acute hospital care at home waiver would reimburse for "home hospital" services. A "home hospital" is the home-based provision of acute services usually associated with the traditional inpatient hospital setting. Prior work suggests that home hospital care can reduce costs, maintain quality and safety, and improve patient experiences for select acutely ill adults who require hospital-level care. However, most emergency physicians are unfamiliar with the evidence of benefits demonstrated by home hospital services, especially for older adults. Therefore, the lead author solicited narrative inputs on this topic from selected experts in emergency medicine and home hospital services with clinical experience, publications, and funding on home hospital care. Then we sought to identify information most relevant to the practice of emergency medicine. We outline the proven and potential benefits of home hospital services specific to older adults compared to traditional acute care hospitalization with a focus on the emergency department.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kei Ouchi
- Department of Emergency MedicineBrigham and Women's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Shan Liu
- Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of Emergency MedicineMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Daniel Tonellato
- Department of Emergency MedicineMedStar Georgetown University HospitalWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
- Department of Emergency MedicineGeorgetown University School of MedicineWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Yonatan G. Keschner
- Department of Emergency MedicineBrigham and Women's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of Emergency MedicineMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Maura Kennedy
- Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of Emergency MedicineMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - David M. Levine
- Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary CareBrigham and Women's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
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Papanagnou D, Klein MR, Zhang XC, Cameron KA, Doty A, McCarthy DM, Rising KL, Salzman DH. Developing standardized patient-based cases for communication training: lessons learned from training residents to communicate diagnostic uncertainty. Adv Simul (Lond) 2021; 6:26. [PMID: 34294153 PMCID: PMC8296470 DOI: 10.1186/s41077-021-00176-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Health professions education has benefitted from standardized patient (SP) programs to develop and refine communication and interpersonal skills in trainees. Effective case design is essential to ensure an SP encounter successfully meets learning objectives that are focused on communication skills. Creative, well-designed case scenarios offer learners the opportunity to engage in complex patient encounters, while challenging them to address the personal and emotional contexts in which their patients are situated. Therefore, prior to considering the practical execution of the patient encounter, educators will first need a clear and structured strategy for writing, organizing, and developing cases. The authors reflect on lessons learned in developing standardized patient-based cases to train learners to communicate to patients during times of diagnostic uncertainty, and provide suggestions to develop a set of simulation cases that are both standardized and diverse. Key steps and workflow processes that can assist educators with case design are introduced. The authors review the need to increase awareness of and mitigate existing norms and implicit biases, while maximizing variation in patient diversity. Opportunities to leverage the breadth of emotional dispositions of the SP and the affective domain of a clinical encounter are also discussed as a means to guide future case development and maximize the value of a case for its respective learning outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios Papanagnou
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, 1025 Walnut Street, College Building, Suite 100, Room 101, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA.
| | - Matthew R Klein
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Xiao Chi Zhang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, 1025 Walnut Street, College Building, Suite 100, Room 101, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA
| | - Kenzie A Cameron
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics/Department of Medicine and Department of Medical Education, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Amanda Doty
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Danielle M McCarthy
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Kristin L Rising
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, 1025 Walnut Street, College Building, Suite 100, Room 101, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA
| | - David H Salzman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Medical Education, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
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Ernecoff NC, Altieri-Dunn SC, Bilderback A, Wilson CL, Saxon S, Ahuja Yende N, Arnold RM, Boninger M. Evaluation of a Home-Based, Nurse Practitioner-led Advanced Illness Care Program. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2021; 22:2389-2393. [PMID: 34115993 DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2021.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In the United States, people with serious illness often experience gaps and discontinuity in care. Gaps are frequently exacerbated by limited mobility, need for social support, and challenges managing multiple comorbidities. The Advanced Illness Care (AIC) Program provides nurse practitioner-led, home-based care for people with serious or complex chronic illnesses that specifically targets palliative care needs and coordinates with patients' primary care and specialty health care providers. We sought to investigate the effect of the AIC Program on hospital encounters [hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits], hospice conversion, and mortality. DESIGN Retrospective nearest-neighbor matching. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Patients in AIC who had ≥1 inpatient stay within the 60 days prior to AIC enrollment to fee-for-service Medicare controls at 9 hospitals within one health system. METHODS We matched on demographic characteristics and comorbidities, with exact matches for diagnosis-related group and home health enrollment. Outcomes were hospital encounters (30- and 90-day ED visits and hospitalizations), hospice conversion, and 30- and 90-day mortality. RESULTS We included 110 patients enrolled in the AIC Program matched to 371 controls. AIC enrollees were mean age 77.0, 40.9% male, and 79.1% white. Compared with controls, AIC enrollees had a higher likelihood of ED visits at 30 [15.1 percentage points, confidence interval (CI) 4.9, 25.3; P = .004] and 90 days (27.8 percentage points, CI 16.0, 39.6; P < .001); decreased likelihood of hospitalization at 30 days (11.4 percentage points, CI -17.7, -5.0; P < .001); and a higher likelihood of converting to hospice (22.4 percentage points, CI 11.4, 33.3; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS The AIC Program provides care and coordination that the home-based serious illness population may not otherwise receive. IMPLICATIONS By identifying and addressing care needs and gaps in care early, patients may avoid unnecessary hospitalizations and receive timely hospice services as they approach the end of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie C Ernecoff
- Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | | | | | | | - Susan Saxon
- Palliative and Supportive Institutive, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Namita Ahuja Yende
- Innovative Homecare Solutions, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; UPMC Health Plan, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Division of Geriatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Robert M Arnold
- Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Palliative and Supportive Institutive, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Michael Boninger
- Innovative Homecare Solutions, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Bringing Palliative Care Downstairs: A Case-Based Approach to Applying Palliative Care Principles to Emergency Department Practice. Adv Emerg Nurs J 2021; 42:215-224. [PMID: 32739951 DOI: 10.1097/tme.0000000000000307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Although the emergency department (ED) may not be traditionally thought of as the ideal setting for the initiation of palliative care, it is the place where patients most frequently seek urgent care for recurrent issues such as pain crisis. Even if the patients' goals of care are nonaggressive, their caregivers may bring them to the ED because of their own distress at witnessing the patients' suffering. Emergency department providers, who are trained to focus on the stabilization of acute medical crises, may find themselves frustrated with repeat visits by patients with chronic problems. Therefore, it is important for ED providers to be comfortable discussing goals of care, to be adept at symptom management for chronic conditions, and to involve palliative care consultants in the ED course when appropriate. Nurse practitioners, with training rooted in the holistic tradition of nursing, may be uniquely suited to lead this shift in the practice paradigm. This article presents case vignettes of 4 commonly encountered ED patient types to examine how palliative care principles might be applied in the ED.
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49
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Swenson A, Hyde R. Understanding patients' end-of-life goals of care in the emergency department. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open 2021; 2:e12388. [PMID: 33718923 PMCID: PMC7925851 DOI: 10.1002/emp2.12388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emergency departments (ED) are frequently the entryway to the health system for older, more ill patients. Because decisions made in the ED often influence escalation of care both in the ED and after admission, it is important for emergency physicians to understand their patients' goals of care. STUDY OBJECTIVES To determine how well emergency physicians understand their patients' goals of care. METHODS This was a prospective survey study of a convenience sample of ED patients 65 years and older presenting between February 18 and March 1, 2019 to an academic center with 77,000 annual visits. If a patient did not have decision-making capacity, a surrogate decision-maker was interviewed when possible. Two sets of surveys were designed, one for patients and one for physicians. The patient survey included questions regarding their goals of care and end-of-life care preferences. The physician survey asked physicians to select which goals of care were important to their patients and to identify which was the most important. Patient-physician agreement on patients' most important goal of care was analyzed with Cohen's kappa. RESULTS A total of 111 patient participants were invited to complete the survey, of whom 80 (72%) agreed to participate. The patients consisted of 43 women and 37 men with an age range from 65 to 98 years. Additionally, 16 attending and 14 resident physicians participated in the study for a total of 49 attending responses and 41 resident responses. A total of 88% of patients believed it was either very important or important to discuss goals of care with their physicians. Both patients and physicians most frequently chose "Improve or maintain function, quality of life, or independence" as the most important goal; however, there was wide variation in patient responses. Patients and attending physicians selected the same most important goal of care in 20% of cases (kappa 0.03) and patients and resident physicians selected the same goal in 27% of cases (kappa 0.11). CONCLUSIONS We found poor agreement between patients and physicians in the ED regarding patients' most important goal of care. Additionally, we found that most patients visiting the ED believe it is important to discuss goals of care with their physicians. Future work may focus on interventions to facilitate goals of care discussions in the ED.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aunika Swenson
- Department of Emergency MedicineStanford University School of MedicinePalo AltoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Robert Hyde
- Department of Emergency MedicineMayo Clinic Alix School of MedicineRochesterMinnesotaUSA
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50
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Childers JW, White DB, Arnold R. "Has Anything Changed Since Then?": A Framework to Incorporate Prior Goals-of-Care Conversations Into Decision-Making for Acutely Ill Patients. J Pain Symptom Manage 2021; 61:864-869. [PMID: 33152442 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2020.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 10/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
When assuming care for a seriously ill hospitalized patient, we should find documentation of previous decisions about goals of care so that our conversation takes advantage of previous discussions and reduces decision-making burden on the patient, particularly when the patient is clinically declining and time is short. This article presents a framework to help clinicians incorporate prior goals of care conversations into decision-making for an acutely ill patient. When there is strong evidence that a previous decision still applies, clinicians should, after a brief check-in about the previous decision with the patient, then present a plan consistent with their previous decision as a default option, to which they can opt out. If there is less evidence of the basis for a previous decision, clinicians should explore the thinking behind the decision and, if there is clarity about patient preferences, propose a treatment plan. If there is conflict or uncertainty about the patient's preferences, clinicians should engage in a more comprehensive goals-of-care conversation, which involves exploring the patient's understanding of their illness, patient values, and reasonable treatment options, before offering a plan. By giving the patient the ability to opt out of a previous decision they made about goals of care, rather than another choice, we make it more likely that they will receive care consistent with their known wishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie W Childers
- Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
| | - Douglas B White
- Program on Ethics and Decision Making in Critical Illness, Department of Critical Care Medicine, The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Robert Arnold
- Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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