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Umberfield EE, Fields MC, Lenko R, Morgan TP, Adair ES, Fromme EK, Lum HD, Moss AH, Wenger NS, Sudore RL, Hickman SE. An Integrative Review of the State of POLST Science: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go? J Am Med Dir Assoc 2024; 25:557-564.e8. [PMID: 38395413 PMCID: PMC10996838 DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2024.01.009] [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] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES POLST is widely used in the care of seriously ill patients to document decisions made during advance care planning (ACP) conversations as actionable medical orders. We conducted an integrative review of existing research to better understand associations between POLST use and key ACP outcomes as well as to identify directions for future research. DESIGN Integrative review. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Not applicable. METHODS We queried PubMed and CINAHL databases using names of POLST programs to identify research on POLST. We abstracted study information and assessed study design quality. Study outcomes were categorized using the international ACP Outcomes Framework: Process, Action, Quality of Care, Health Status, and Healthcare Utilization. RESULTS Of 94 POLST studies identified, 38 (40%) had at least a moderate level of study design quality and 15 (16%) included comparisons between POLST vs non-POLST patient groups. There was a significant difference between groups for 40 of 70 (57%) ACP outcomes. The highest proportion of significant outcomes was in Quality of Care (15 of 19 or 79%). In subdomain analyses of Quality of Care, POLST use was significantly associated with concordance between treatment and documentation (14 of 18 or 78%) and preferences concordant with documentation (1 of 1 or 100%). The Action outcome domain had the second highest positive rate among outcome domains; 9 of 12 (75%) Action outcomes were significant. Healthcare Utilization outcomes were the most frequently assessed and approximately half (16 of 35 or 46%) were significant. Health Status outcomes were not significant (0 of 4 or 0%), and no Process outcomes were identified. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Findings of this review indicate that POLST use is significantly associated with a Quality of Care and Action outcomes, albeit in nonrandomized studies. Future research on POLST should focus on prospective mixed methods studies and high-quality pragmatic trials that assess a broad range of person and health system-level outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth E Umberfield
- Division of Nursing Research, Department of Nursing, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Artificial Intelligence and Informatics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
| | - Matthew C Fields
- School of Nursing, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Research in Palliative and End-of-Life Communication and Training (RESPECT) Signature Center, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Rachel Lenko
- Department of Nursing, School of Health, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Teryn P Morgan
- Center for Biomedical Informatics, Regenstrief Institute, Inc, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of BioHealth Informatics, School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | | | - Erik K Fromme
- Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hillary D Lum
- Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Alvin H Moss
- Center for Health Ethics and Law, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, WV, USA; Divisions of Nephrology and Palliative Medicine, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Neil S Wenger
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Rebecca L Sudore
- Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Susan E Hickman
- School of Nursing, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Research in Palliative and End-of-Life Communication and Training (RESPECT) Signature Center, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana University Center for Aging Research, Regenstrief Institute, Inc, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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LoCastro M, Mortaz-Hedjri S, Wang Y, Mendler JH, Norton S, Bernacki R, Carroll T, Klepin H, Liesveld J, Huselton E, Kluger B, Loh KP. Telehealth serious illness care program for older adults with hematologic malignancies: a single-arm pilot study. Blood Adv 2023; 7:7597-7607. [PMID: 38088668 PMCID: PMC10733103 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023011046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) feel shocked and bewildered when diagnosed. Serious illness conversations (SICs) may increase disease understanding and preparations for the future. However, SICs often happen late, in part because of clinician-perceived patient discomfort. Telehealth may promote patient comfort by allowing SICs to take place at home. This study assesses the feasibility and usability of a telehealth-delivered Serious Illness Care Program (SICP) for older adults with AML and MDS. We conducted a single-arm pilot study including 20 older adults with AML and MDS. Feasibility was measured using retention rate, with >80% considered feasible. Usability was measured using telehealth usability questionnaire (TUQ; range, 1-7): >5 considered usable. We collected other outcomes including acceptability and disease understanding and conducted post-visit qualitative interviews to elicit feedback. Hypothesis testing was performed at α = 0.10 owing to the pilot nature and small sample size. Retention rate was 95% (19/20); mean TUQ scores were 5.9 (standard deviation [SD], 0.9) and 5.9 (SD, 1.1) for patients and caregivers, respectively. We found the SICP to be acceptable. The majority of patients found the SICP to be very or extremely worthwhile (88.2%; 15/17), and reported it increased closeness with their clinician (75.0%; 12/16). After their visit, patient estimates of curability, and overall life expectancy aligned more closely with those of their clinicians. In qualitative interviews, most patients said that they would recommend this program to others (89.5%, 17/19). This study demonstrated that delivery of the telehealth SICP to older patients with AML and MDS is feasible, usable, and acceptable. This trial is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT04745676.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa LoCastro
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
| | - Soroush Mortaz-Hedjri
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - Jason H. Mendler
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - Sally Norton
- School of Nursing, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | | | - Thomas Carroll
- Divisions of General Medicine and Palliative Care, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - Heidi Klepin
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC
| | - Jane Liesveld
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - Eric Huselton
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - Benzi Kluger
- Divisions of General Medicine and Palliative Care, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - Kah Poh Loh
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
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LoCastro M, Sanapala C, Mendler JH, Norton S, Bernacki R, Carroll T, Klepin H, Watson E, Liesveld J, Huselton E, O'Dwyer K, Baran A, Flannery M, Kluger BM, Loh KP. Advance care planning in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. J Geriatr Oncol 2023; 14:101374. [PMID: 36100548 PMCID: PMC9974785 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgo.2022.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have worse survival rates compared to younger patients, and experience more intense inpatient healthcare at the end of life (EOL) compared to patients with solid tumors. Advance care planning (ACP) has been shown to limit aggressive and burdensome care at EOL for patients with AML and MDS. The purpose of this study was to better understand ACP from the perspective of clinicians, older patients with AML and MDS, and their caregivers. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted semi-structured interviews with 45 study participants. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Open coding and focused content analysis were used to organize data and develop and contextualize categories and subcategories. RESULTS Guided by our specific aims, we developed four themes: (1) The language of ACP and medical order for life-sustaining treatment (MOLST) does not resonate with patients, (2) There is no uniform consensus on when ACP is currently happening, (3) Oncology clinician-perceived barriers to ACP (e.g., patient discomfort, patient lack of knowledge, and lack of time), and (4) Patients felt that they are balancing fear and hope when navigating their AML or MDS diagnosis. DISCUSSION The results of this study can be used to develop interventions to promote serious illness conversations for patients with AML and MDS and their caregivers to ensure that patient care aligns with patient values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa LoCastro
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Chandrika Sanapala
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Jason H Mendler
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Sally Norton
- School of Nursing, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Rachelle Bernacki
- Department of Palliative Care, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Thomas Carroll
- Division of General Medicine and Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Heidi Klepin
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
| | | | - Jane Liesveld
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Eric Huselton
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Kristen O'Dwyer
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Andrea Baran
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester, New York, USA.
| | - Marie Flannery
- School of Nursing, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Benzi M Kluger
- Division of General Medicine and Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Kah Poh Loh
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
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