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Peters M, Kutzko DJ, Stilos K. Continuous Ambulatory Delivery Device Use for Patients Managed by an Inpatient Palliative Care Team. Pain Manag Nurs 2024; 25:e236-e242. [PMID: 38616457 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmn.2024.02.014] [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: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) via a Continuous Ambulatory Delivery Device (CADD) is a common and effective means of pain and symptom management for hospitalized patients with a malignancy. Studies exploring the indications for starting such a device for hospitalized inpatients referred to inpatient palliative care teams are limited. AIM This retrospective chart review aims to explore indications, timing of initiation, and barriers to the use of a CADD. METHODS Over a six month period, during daily inpatient palliative care consult team rounds, patients who required a CADD were enrolled in this study. Sixty-one adult patients were identified who required a pump for symptom control. The team's database sheets were used to capture patient demographics. RESULTS The main reasons for initiating a Continuous Ambulatory Delivery Device in the above setting included: lack of efficacy of oral opioids and to increase patient autonomy of their pain management. Approximately 20% of patients required transfer to another unit that could accommodate the CADD. The median length of stay for these patients was 13 days, with a median length of half a day for a pump to be started. CONCLUSIONS This initial study provides the Palliative Care Consult Team with information on the indications for the use of a CADD. The lack of universal access to a CADD in various areas of our hospital due to differences in departmental protocols may compromise good symptom management and patient safety. These results strengthen the argument that the existing hospital policy requires revamping to improve CADD access. A CADD has been shown to provide hospitalized patients, with a malignancy, with timely access to effective symptom management, and in turn, reducing their length of stay in hospital. These findings will help inform this organization's CADD policy and support the need to broaden access to this device.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison Peters
- Advanced Practice Nurse, Division of Palliative Care Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Dr Justin Kutzko
- Palliative Care Physician, Division of Supportive and Palliative Care, Brampton Civic Hospital, William Osler Health System, Brampton, Ontario, Canada; Senior Lecturer, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Kalli Stilos
- Advanced Practice Nurse, Division of Palliative Care Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Adjunct Clinical Faculty for Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Hagen TP, Zelko E. Exploring End-of-Life Care for Patients with Breast Cancer, Dementia or Heart Failure: A Register-Based Study of Individual and Institutional Factors. Healthcare (Basel) 2024; 12:943. [PMID: 38727500 PMCID: PMC11083566 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12090943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine variations in end-of-life care for breast cancer, heart failure, and dementia patients. DATA AND METHODS Data from four Norwegian health registries were linked using a personal identification number. Longitudinal trends over 365 days and the type of care on the final day of life were analyzed using descriptive techniques and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Patients with dementia were more commonly placed in nursing homes than patients in the two other groups, while patients with heart failure and breast cancer were more frequently hospitalized than the dementia patients. Breast cancer and heart failure patients had a higher likelihood of dying at home than dementia patients. The higher the number of general practitioners, the higher was the probability of home-based end-of-life care for cancer patients, while an increasing non-physician healthcare workers increased the likelihood of home-based care for the other patient groups. CONCLUSIONS Diagnoses, individual characteristics, and service availability are all associated with the place of death in end-of-life care. The higher the availability of health care services, the higher also is the probability of ending the life at home.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terje P. Hagen
- Department of Health Management and Health Economics, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1072, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Erika Zelko
- Institute of General Medicine, Johannes Kepler University, Altenberger Straße 69, 4040 Linz, Austria;
- Institute of Palliative Medicine, Medical Faculty, University Maribor, Slomskov trg 15, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
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Zaboli A, Sibilio S, Magnarelli G, Pfeifer N, Brigo F, Turcato G. Development and validation of a nomogram for assessing comorbidity and frailty in triage: a multicentre observational study. Intern Emerg Med 2024:10.1007/s11739-024-03593-9. [PMID: 38602628 DOI: 10.1007/s11739-024-03593-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Assessing patient frailty in the Emergency Department (ED) is crucial; however, triage frailty and comorbidity assessment scores developed in recent years are unsatisfactory. The underlying causes of this phenomenon could reside in the nature of the tools used, which were not designed specifically for the emergency context and, thus, are difficult to adapt to the emergency environment. The objective of this study was to create and internally validate a nomogram for identifying different levels of patient frailty during triage. Multicenter, prospective, observational exploratory study conducted in two ED. The study was conducted from April 1 to October 31, 2022. Following the triage assessment, the nurse collected variables related to the patient's comorbidities and chronic conditions using a predefined form. The primary outcome was the 90-day mortality rate. A total of 1345 patients were enrolled in this study; 6% died within 90 days. In the multivariate analysis, the Charlson Comorbidity Index, an altered motor condition, an altered cognitive condition, an autonomous chronic condition, arrival in an ambulance, and a previous hospitalization within 90 days were independently associated with death. The internal validation of the nomogram reported an area under the receiver operating characteristic of 0.91 (95% CI 0.884-0.937). A nomogram was created for assessing comorbidity and frailty during triage and was demonstrated to be capable of determining comorbidity and frailty in the ED setting. Integrating a tool capable of identifying frail patients at the first triage assessment could improve patient stratification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arian Zaboli
- Innovation, Research and Teaching Service (SABES-ASDAA), Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical Private University (PMU), Bolzano, Italy.
- Innovation, Research and Teaching Service, Azienda Sanitaria dell'Alto Adige, Via Alessandro Volta, 13A, Bolzano, Italia.
| | - Serena Sibilio
- Institute of Nursing Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Gabriele Magnarelli
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Hospital of Merano-Meran (SABES-ASDAA), Merano-Meran, Italy
- Lehrkrankenhaus der Paracelsus Medizinischen Privatuniversität, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Norbert Pfeifer
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Hospital of Merano-Meran (SABES-ASDAA), Merano-Meran, Italy
- Lehrkrankenhaus der Paracelsus Medizinischen Privatuniversität, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Francesco Brigo
- Innovation, Research and Teaching Service (SABES-ASDAA), Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical Private University (PMU), Bolzano, Italy
| | - Gianni Turcato
- Department of Internal Medicine, Intermediate Care Unit, Hospital Alto Vicentino (AULSS-7), Santorso, Italy
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Bell SG, Althouse AD, Belin SC, Arnold RM, Smith KJ, White DB, Chu E, Schenker Y, Thomas TH. Associations of Health Care Utilization and Therapeutic Alliance in Patients with Advanced Cancer. J Palliat Med 2024; 27:515-520. [PMID: 38574330 DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2023.0559] [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: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Therapeutic alliance (TA), or the extent to which patients feel a sense of caring and trust with their physician, may have an impact on health care utilization. We sought to determine if TA is associated with: (1) emergency department (ED) visits within 30 days of death and (2) hospice enrollment. Methods and Materials: This is a secondary analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial. We used restricted cubic splines to assess the relationship between TA scores and health care utilization. Results: Six hundred seventy-two patients were enrolled in the study, with 331 (49.3%) dying within 12 months. Patients with higher TA were less likely to have an ED visit in the last 30 days of life, but there was no evidence of a relationship between TA and enrollment in hospice. Conclusions: Higher TA was associated with decreased ED visits within 30 days of death. There was no association between TA and rates of hospice enrollment. Clinical Registration Number: NCT02712229.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah G Bell
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Andrew D Althouse
- Palliative Research Center (PaRC), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Shane C Belin
- Palliative Research Center (PaRC), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Robert M Arnold
- Palliative Research Center (PaRC), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kenneth J Smith
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Douglas B White
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Edward Chu
- Department of Oncology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Yael Schenker
- Palliative Research Center (PaRC), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Teresa H Thomas
- Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Singh J, Grov EK, Turzer M, Stensvold A. Hospitalizations and re-hospitalizations at the end-of-life among cancer patients; a retrospective register data study. BMC Palliat Care 2024; 23:39. [PMID: 38350961 PMCID: PMC10863145 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-024-01370-1] [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: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with incurable cancer are frequently hospitalized within their last 30 days of life (DOL) due to numerous symptoms and concerns. These hospitalizations can be burdensome for the patient and the caregivers and are therefore considered a quality indicator of end-of-life care. This retrospective cohort study aims to investigate the rates and potential predictors of hospitalizations and re-hospitalizations within the last 30 DOL. METHODS This register data study included 383 patients with non-curable cancer who died in the pre-covid period between July 2018 and December 2019. Descriptive statistics with Chi-squared tests for the categorical data and logistic regression analysis were used to identify factors associated with hospitalization within the last 30 DOL. RESULTS A total of 272 (71%) had hospitalizations within the last 30 days of life and 93 (24%) had > 1 hospitalizations. Hospitalization was associated with shorter time from palliative care unit (PCU) referral to death, male gender, age < 80 years and systemic anticancer therapy (SACT) within the last 30 DOL. The most common treatment approaches initiated during re-hospitalizations remained treatment for suspected or confirmed infection (45%), pleural or abdominal paracentesis (20%) and erythrocytes transfusion (18%). CONCLUSION Hospitalization and re-hospitalization within the last 30 DOL were associated with male gender, age below 80, systemic anticancer therapy and suspected or confirmed infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Singh
- Department of Oncology, Østfold Hospital Trust, PO Box 300, Graalum, 1714, Norway.
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, St.Olavs Plass, PO Box 4, Oslo, 0130, Norway.
| | - E K Grov
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, St.Olavs Plass, PO Box 4, Oslo, 0130, Norway
| | - M Turzer
- Department of Oncology, Østfold Hospital Trust, PO Box 300, Graalum, 1714, Norway
| | - A Stensvold
- Department of Oncology, Østfold Hospital Trust, PO Box 300, Graalum, 1714, Norway
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Um YW, Jo YH, Kim HE, Kang SH, Han DK, Lee JH, Park I. The Prognostic Value of the Modified Surprise Question in Critically Ill Emergency Department Patients. J Palliat Care 2023:8258597231217947. [PMID: 38031344 DOI: 10.1177/08258597231217947] [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: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Objective: The initiation of palliative care (PC) in the emergency department (ED) is effective in improving the quality of life for seriously ill patients. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of the modified surprise question (mSQ), "Would you be surprised if this patient died in the next 30 days?" as a trigger for initiating PC in critically ill ED patients. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study over a 6-month period in an ED, during which 22 emergency residents answered the mSQ for critically ill ED patients (Korean Triage and Acuity Scale 1 or 2). The primary outcome was the accuracy of the positive mSQ (negative response to the mSQ) in predicting 30-day mortality, and logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the prognostic factors. Results: A total of 300 patients were enrolled, and the positive mSQ group included 118 (39.3%) patients. The 30-day mortality rate of the cohort was 10.0%. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the positive mSQ were 83.3%, 65.6%, 21.2%, and 97.3%, respectively, with a c-statistic of 0.74 and a positive likelihood ratio of 2.42. In a multivariable analysis controlling for clinically relevant variables, the odds ratio for 30-day mortality of the positive mSQ was 4.76 (95% confidence interval, 1.61-14.09; P = .005). Conclusions: The mSQ may be valuable for identifying critically ill ED patients with an increased risk of 30-day mortality. Therefore, it may be utilized as a trigger for PC consultation in the ED.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Woo Um
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
| | - You Hwan Jo
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- Disaster Medicine Research Center, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hee Eun Kim
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
| | - Seung Hyun Kang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
| | - Dong Kwan Han
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
| | - Jae Hyuk Lee
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
| | - Inwon Park
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
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Ko H, Jung S. Development and Analysis of the Job Description for Dementia Care Center Nurses in Korea Using Developing a Curriculum (DACUM). J Gerontol Nurs 2023; 49:29-35. [PMID: 37768586 DOI: 10.3928/00989134-20230918-01] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
The current study aimed to develop and analyze a dementia care center nurse (DCCN) job description using Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) in Korea. Seven DCCN panels participated in the DACUM workshop to define the duties and tasks. The developed duties and tasks were validated with a survey that included the importance, difficulty, frequency, and educational needs of the duties and tasks. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data collected from August to September 2020. Nine duties and 111 tasks were identified, with "dementia screening" ranking the highest among the duties and "management of cognitive programs" ranking the lowest. The task with the highest rank based on the determinant coefficient and educational needs was "conducting the first stage of the diagnostic test," whereas the task with the lowest rank was "recording special issues." Findings can be used as fundamental data for designing educational programs aimed at enhancing the competencies of DCCNs and as a tool for evaluating their job performance. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 49(10), 29-35.].
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McCallum K. Overcoming the barriers to optimal end of life care in the emergency department. Emerg Nurse 2023:e2170. [PMID: 37667653 DOI: 10.7748/en.2023.e2170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
The focus of care in the emergency department (ED) is on saving or sustaining life, but some patients admitted to the ED die in the ED. Nurses whose focus is on saving lives may therefore find themselves providing end of life care to patients and their families in a stressful and distressing environment. Providing optimal end of life care involves reflecting on what a good death looks like and how patients can be supported to have a good death. This article describes the barriers to optimal end of life care in the ED and prompts nurses to think about how they can enhance their practice when caring for dying patients and their families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kay McCallum
- acute oncology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, England
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Lourençato FM, Miranda CH, de Carvalho Borges M, Pazin-Filho A. Palliative care team in a Brazilian tertiary emergency department. Int J Emerg Med 2022; 15:53. [PMID: 36114470 PMCID: PMC9479313 DOI: 10.1186/s12245-022-00456-y] [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: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Objectives
To describe the process of implementing a palliative care team (PCT) in a Brazilian public tertiary university hospital and compare this intervention as an active in-hospital search (strategy I) with the Emergency Department (strategy II).
Methods
We described the development of a complex Palliative Care Team (PCT). We evaluated the following primary outcomes: hospital discharge, death (in-hospital and follow-up mortality) or transfer, and performance outcomes-Perception Index (difference in days between hospitalization and the evaluation by the PTC), follow-up index (difference in days between the PTC evaluation and the primary outcome), and the in-hospital stay.
Results
We included 1203 patients—strategy I (587; 48.8%) and strategy II (616; 51.2%). In both strategies, male and elderly patients were prevalent. Most came from internal medicine I (39.3%) and II (57.9%), p < 0.01. General clinical conditions (40%) and Oncology I (27.7%) and II (32.4%) represented the majority of the population. Over 70% of all patients had PPS 10 and ECOG 4 above 85%. There was a reduction of patients identified in ICU from I (20.9%) to II (9.2%), p < 0.01, reduction in the ward from I (60.8%) to II (42.5%), p < 0.01 and a significant increase from I (18.2%) to II (48.2%) in the emergency department, p < 0.01. Regarding in-hospital mortality, 50% of patients remained alive within 35 days of hospitalization (strategy I), while for strategy II, 50% were alive within 20 days of hospitalization (p < 0.01). As for post-discharge mortality, in strategy II, 50% of patients died 10 days after hospital discharge, while in strategy I, this number was 40 days (p < 0.01). In the Cox multivariate regression model, adjusting for possible confounding factors, strategy II increased 30% the chance of death. The perception index decreased from 10.9 days to 9.1 days, there was no change in follow-up (12 days), and the duration of in-hospital stay dropped from 24.3 to 20.7 days, p < 0.01. The primary demand was the definition of prognosis (56.7%).
Conclusion
The present work showed that early intervention by an elaborate and complex PCT in the ED was associated with a faster perception of the need for palliative care and influenced a reduction in the length of hospital stay in a very dependent and compromised old population.
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Dumnui N, Nagaviroj K, Anothaisintawee T. A study of the factors associated with emergency department visits in advanced cancer patients receiving palliative care. BMC Palliat Care 2022; 21:197. [PMCID: PMC9664626 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-022-01098-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Purpose
Several studies demonstrated that cancer patients visited the emergency department (ED) frequently. This indicates unmet needs and poor-quality palliative care. We aimed to investigate the factors that contribute to ED visits among patients with advanced cancer in order to identify strategies for reducing unnecessary ED visits among these patients.
Methods
A retrospective study was conducted between January and December, 2019. Eligible patients were previously enrolled in the comprehensive palliative care program prior to their ED visit. All patients older than 18 were included. Patients were excluded if they had died at the initial consultation, were referred to other programs at the initial consultation, or had an incomplete record. The trial ended when the patients died, were referred to other palliative programs, or the study ended. The time between the initial palliative consultation and study endpoints was categorized into three groups: 16 days, 16–100 days, and > 100 days, based on the literature review. To investigate the factors associated with ED visits, a logistic regression analysis was conducted. The variables with a P value < 0.15 from the univariate logistic regression analysis were included in the multiple logistic regression analysis.
Results
Among a total of 227 patients, 93 visited the ED and 134 did not. Mean age was 65.5 years. Most prevalent cancers were colorectal (18.5%), lung (16.3%), and hepatobiliary (11.9%). At the end, 146 patients died, 45 were alive, nine were referred to other programs, and 27 were lost to follow-up. In univariate logistic regression analysis, patients with > 100 days from palliative consultation (OR 0.23; 95%CI 0.08, 0.66; p-value 0.01) were less likely to attend the ED. In contrast, PPS 50–90% (OR 2.02; 95%CI 1.18, 3.47; p-value 0.01) increased the ED visits. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, these two factors remained associated with ED visits:> 100 days from the palliative consultation (OR 0.18; 95%CI 0.06, 0.55; p-value 0.01) and PPS 50–90% (OR 2.62; 95%CI 1.44, 4.79; p-value 0.01).
Conclusions
There was reduced ED utilization among cancer patients with > 100 days of palliative care. Patients having a lower PPS were associated with a lower risk of ED visits.
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Elsayem AF, Warneke CL, Reyes-Gibby CC, Buffardi LJ, Sadaf H, Chaftari PS, Brock PA, Page VD, Viets-Upchurch J, Lipe D, Alagappan K. "Triple Threat" Conditions Predict Mortality Among Patients With Advanced Cancer Who Present to the Emergency Department. J Emerg Med 2022; 63:355-362. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2022.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Bayuo J, Anago EK, Agyei FB, Salifu Y, Kyei Baffour P, Atta Poku C. "Resuscitate and Push": End-of-Life Care Experiences of Healthcare Staff in the Emergency Department - A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study. J Palliat Care 2021; 37:494-502. [PMID: 34713731 DOI: 10.1177/08258597211050740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Care in the emergency department focuses significantly on delivering lifesaving/ life-sustaining clinical actions, often with limited attention to health-related suffering even at the end-of-life. How healthcare staff experience and navigate through the end-of-life phase remains minimally explored. Thus, this study aimed to uncover the lived experiences of emergency department staff at the end-of-life. METHODS van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used. Nineteen healthcare staff were purposively recruited and interviewed. Interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim, and thematic categories formulated. The existential lifeworld themes (corporeality, relationality, spatiality, and temporality) were used as heuristic guides for reflecting and organizing the lived experiences of participants. RESULTS The overarching category, 'resuscitate and push', was captured as corporeality (resisting death and dying); relationality (connectedness to the body of the patient; and lacking support for family and self); spatiality (navigating through a liminal space and lack of privacy for patients); and temporality (having limited to no time for end-of-life care and grieving). The end-of-life space was unpleasant. Although participants experienced helplessness and feelings of failure, support systems to help them to navigate through these emotions were lacking. Grief was experienced covertly and concealed by the entry of a new patient. CONCLUSION End-of-life in the emergency department is poorly defined. In addition to shifting from the traditional emergency care model to support the streamlining of palliative care in the department, staff will require support with navigating through the liminal space, managing their grief, and developing a better working relationship with patients/ families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Bayuo
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
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Zeng H, Kamath B, Sekhon S. Why do patients revoke hospice in the emergency department? Am J Emerg Med 2021; 56:344-346. [PMID: 34593299 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.09.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Henry Zeng
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America; VITAS Healthcare, Miami, FL, United States of America.
| | - Bhoomika Kamath
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
| | - Simranjit Sekhon
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America; VITAS Healthcare, Miami, FL, United States of America
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