High burden of palliative needs among older intensive care unit survivors transferred to post-acute care facilities. a single-center study

Assessing palliative care practices in intensive care units and interpreting them using the lens of appropriate care concepts. An umbrella review

PURPOSE

Intensive care units (ICUs) have significant palliative care needs but lack a reliable care framework. This umbrella review addresses them by synthesising palliative care practices provided at end-of-life to critically ill patients and their families before, during, and after ICU admission.

METHODS

Seven databases were systematically searched for systematic reviews, and the umbrella review was conducted according to the guidelines laid out by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI).

RESULTS

Out of 3122 initial records identified, 40 systematic reviews were included in the synthesis. Six key themes were generated that reflect the palliative and end-of-life care practices in the ICUs and their outcomes. Effective communication and accurate prognostications enabled families to make informed decisions, cope with uncertainty, ease distress, and shorten ICU stays. Inter-team discussions and agreement on a plan are essential before discussing care goals. Recording care preferences prevents unnecessary end-of-life treatments. Exceptional end-of-life care should include symptom management, family support, hydration and nutrition optimisation, avoidance of unhelpful treatments, and bereavement support. Evaluating end-of-life care quality is critical and can be accomplished by seeking family feedback or conducting a survey.

CONCLUSION

This umbrella review encapsulates current palliative care practices in ICUs, influencing patient and family outcomes and providing insights into developing an appropriate care framework for critically ill patients needing end-of-life care and their families.

Clinical outcomes of a joint ICU and palliative care multidisciplinary rounding model: A retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES

This retrospective cohort study assessed whether implementation of a joint inpatient palliative care (IPC) and ICU multidisciplinary rounding model affected clinical outcomes including ICU length of stay (LOS).

METHODS

Beginning in October of 2018, an IPC physician joined the pre-existing ICU multidisciplinary rounds. Data were collected for ICU patients admitted during a 6-month period before this intervention and a 6-month period after the intervention. Data were extracted from an integrated electronic medical records (EMR) data system and compared by Wilcoxon and chi-square test for continuous and categorical variables respectively. Negative binomial regression was used to analyze the primary outcome measure, ICU LOS.

RESULTS

Patients in the intervention group spent fewer days in the ICU (3.7 vs. 3.9 days, p = 0.05; RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.70-0.97, p = 0.02) and in the hospital (7.5 vs. 7.8 days, p<0.01) compared to the pre-intervention group. The rate of CPR was lower in the intervention group, but the difference was not statistically significant [13(3.1%) vs. 23(5.3%), p = 0.10]. The groups did not differ significantly in rate of hospital mortality, number of days connected to mechanical ventilation via endotracheal tube, or bounceback to the ED or hospital. Multivariable analysis of the primary outcome demonstrated that patients with prior palliative care involvement had longer ICU LOS (RR 1.46, 95% CI 1.04-2.06, p = 0.03) when controlling for other variables.

CONCLUSION

The presented joint IPC-ICU multidisciplinary rounding model was associated with a statistically significant reduction in ICU and hospital LOS, but the clinical significance of this reduction is unclear.

Palliative Care in Survivors of Critical Illness: A Qualitative Study of Post-Intensive Care Unit Program Clinicians

Background: Survivors of critical illness experience high rates of serious health-related suffering. The delivery of palliative care may assist in decreasing this burden for survivors and their families. Objectives: To understand beliefs, attitudes, and experiences of post-intensive care unit (ICU) program clinicians regarding palliative care and explore barriers and facilitators to incorporating palliative care into critical illness survivorship care. Design: Qualitative inquiry using semistructured interviews and framework analysis. Results were mapped using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Setting/Subjects: We interviewed 29 international members (United States, United Kingdom, Canada) of the Critical and Acute Illness Recovery Organization post-ICU clinic collaborative. Results: All interprofessional clinicians described components of palliative care as essential to post-ICU clinic practice, including symptom management, patient/family support, facilitation of goal-concordant care, expectation management and anticipatory guidance, spiritual support, and discussion of future health care wishes and advance care planning. Facilitators promoting palliative care strategies were clinician level, including first-hand experience, perceived value, and a positive attitude regarding palliative care. Clinician-level barriers were reciprocals and included insufficient palliative care knowledge, lack of self-efficacy, and a perceived need to protect ICU survivors from interventions the clinician felt may adversely affect recovery or change the care trajectory. System-level barriers included time constraints, cost, and lack of specialty palliative care services. Conclusion: Palliative care may be an essential element of post-ICU clinic care. Implementation efforts focused on tailoring strategies to improve post-ICU program clinicians' palliative care knowledge and self-efficacy could be a key to enhanced care delivery for survivors of critical illness.

Impact of frailty on the short-term outcomes of elderly intensive care unit patients

BACKGROUND

Frailty leads to multiple unfavourable outcomes in older adults. However, few studies have investigated correlations between frailty and its impacts on morbidity and mortality of elderly patients in intensive care units (ICUs) in Taiwan.

AIMS

To investigate the impact of frailty on the risk of hospital and 30-day mortality and functional outcomes of elderly Taiwanese ICU patients.

STUDY DESIGN

A prospective observational study was conducted. Patients aged 65 years or older were recruited from three medical ICUs. We defined 'frailty' according to the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) higher than 4 within 1 month prior to admission. The primary outcomes were hospital and 30-day mortality. The secondary outcome was CFS changes at ICU admission, hospital discharge, and 30-day follow-up. Logistic/Cox regression was used to analyse the data.

RESULTS

We recruited a total of 106 patients, 57 (54%) of whom were classified as frail. The overall mortality rate was 21%. Hospital mortality and mortality within 30 days after discharge were higher in the frail patients without a significant statistical difference (hospital mortality: 17.5% vs. 12.2%, p = .626; 30-day mortality: 26.3% vs. 14.3%, p = .200). The risk of 30-day mortality for frail patients was up to 2.84 times greater than that of non-frail patients in the Cox model (hazard ratio = 2.84, 95% confidence interval [0.96, 8.38]). Both non-frail and frail patients had a worse CFS score on admission, but the CFS score of surviving non-frail patients improved significantly over the medium term.

CONCLUSION

Frailty tended to increase short-term ICU mortality risk and worsen functional outcomes in the elderly Taiwanese population. This information might guide critical medical decisions.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Frailty could be included in the prognostic evaluation of either mortality risk or functional outcome. Prompt palliative care might be one last piece of holistic elder care.

Examining the needs of survivors of critical illness through the lens of palliative care: A qualitative study of survivor experiences

OBJECTIVE

To examine the needs of adult survivors of critical illness through a lens of palliative care.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A qualitative study of adult survivors of critical illness using semi-structured interviews and framework analysis.

SETTING

Participants were recruited from the post-intensive care unit clinic of a mid-Atlantic academic medical center in the United States.

FINDINGS

Seventeen survivors of critical illness aged 34-80 (median, 66) participated in the study. The majority of patients were female (64.7 %, n = 11) with a median length of index ICU stay of 12 days (interquartile range [IQR] 8-19). Interviews were conducted February to March 2021 and occurred a median of 20 months following the index intensive care stay (range, 13-33 months). We identified six key themes which align with palliative care principles: 1) persistent symptom burden; 2) critical illness as a life-altering experience; 3) spiritual changes and significance; 4) interpreting/managing the survivor experience; 5) feelings of loss and burden; and 6) social support needs.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that palliative care components such as symptom management, goals of care discussions, care coordination, and spiritual and social support may assist in the assessment and treatment of survivors of critical illness.

Trends in Palliative Care Consultations in Critically Ill Patient Populations, 2013-2019

CONTEXT

Critically ill patients have important palliative care (PC) needs in the intensive care unit (ICU), but specialty PC is often underutilized.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate changes in utilization and reasons for PC consultation over time.

METHODS

Data from a national multi-site network of inpatient PC visits were used to identify patients age ≥18 years admitted to an ICU between 2013 and 2019. Year of ICU admission was the exposure. Primary diagnosis and reason for referral were identified by standardized process measures within the dataset at the time of referral. Trends in primary diagnosis and reason for referral were modeled as a function of year of ICU admission.

RESULTS

Across 39,515 ICU patients seen by a PC team, overall numbers of consultations from the ICU increased each year. Referrals for patients with cancer decreased from 17.6% (95% CI 13.7%-21.5%) to 14.3% (95% CI 13.2%-14.7%) and for patients with cardiovascular disease increased from 16.8% in (95% CI 16.8%-16.9%) to 18.8% (95% CI 18.8%-18.9%). Reasons for referrals were primarily for goals of care and advance care planning and increased from 74.0% (95% CI 70.0%-78.0%) in 2013 to 80.0% (95% CI 79.4%-80.0%) in 2019 (P < 0.0001 for all trends).

CONCLUSION

PC referrals in ICU patients with cancer are decreasing, while those for cardiovascular disease are increasing. Reasons for referrals in the ICU are commonly for goals of care; other reasons, like pain control are uncommon. Early goals of care conversations and further training in advance care planning should be emphasized in the ICU setting.

Evaluation of automated specialty palliative care in the intensive care unit: A retrospective cohort study

Introduction

Automated specialty palliative care consultation (SPC) has been proposed as an intervention to improve patient-centered care in the intensive care unit (ICU). Existing automated SPC trigger criteria are designed to identify patients at highest risk of in-hospital death. We sought to evaluate common mortality-based SPC triggers and determine whether these triggers reflect actual use of SPC consultation. We additionally aimed to characterize the population of patients who receive SPC without meeting mortality-based triggers.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all adult ICU admissions from 2012–2017 at an academic medical center with five subspecialty ICUs to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the five most common SPC triggers for predicting receipt of SPC. Among ICU admissions receiving SPC, we assessed differences in patients who met any SPC trigger compared to those who met none.

Results

Of 48,744 eligible admissions, 1,965 (4.03%) received SPC; 979 (49.82%) of consultations met at least 1 trigger. The sensitivity and specificity for any trigger predicting SPC was 49.82% and 79.61%, respectively. Patients who met no triggers but received SPC were younger (62.71 years vs 66.58 years, mean difference (MD) 3.87 years (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.44–5.30) p<0.001), had longer ICU length of stay (11.43 days vs 8.42 days, MD -3.01 days (95% CI -4.30 –-1.72) p<0.001), and had a lower rate of in-hospital death (48.68% vs 58.12%, p<0.001).

Conclusion

Mortality-based triggers for specialty palliative care poorly reflect actual use of SPC in the ICU. Reliance on such triggers may unintentionally overlook an important population of patients with clinician-identified palliative care needs.

Availability of Palliative Care in Long-Term Acute Care Hospitals

OBJECTIVE

To determine the availability of palliative care programs in long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis using the 2016 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

LTACHs in the United States.

METHOD

We used descriptive analyses to compare the prevalence of palliative care programs in LTACHs across the United States in 2016. For LTACHs without a program, we also examined palliative care physician capacity in regions where those LTACHs resided to evaluate if expertise existed in those regions.

RESULTS

One-third (36.5%) of 405 LTACHs (50.6% response rate) self-reported having a palliative care program. Among LTACHs without palliative care, 42.4% were in regions with the highest palliative care physician capacity nationwide.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

LTACHs care for patients with serious and prolonged illnesses, many of whom would benefit from palliative care. Despite this, our study finds that specialty palliative care is limited in LTACHs. The limited palliative care availability in LTACHs is mismatched with the needs of this seriously ill population. Greater focus on increasing palliative care in LTACHs is essential and may be feasible as 40% of LTACHs without a palliative care program were located in regions with the highest palliative care physician capacity.

Training Chaplains to Provide Communication-Board-Guided Spiritual Care for Intensive Care Unit Patients

Background: Chaplain-led communication-board-guided spiritual care may reduce anxiety and stress during an intensive care unit (ICU) admission for nonvocal mechanically ventilated patients, but clinical pastoral education does not teach the assistive communication skills needed to provide communication-board-guided spiritual care. Objective: To evaluate a four-hour chaplain-led seminar to educate chaplains about ICU patients' psychoemotional distress, and train them in assistive communication skills for providing chaplain-led communication-board-guided spiritual care. Design: A survey immediately before and after the seminar, and one-year follow-up about use of communication-board-guided spiritual care. Subjects/Setting: Sixty-two chaplains from four U.S. medical centers. Measurements: Multiple-choice and 10-point integer scale questions about ICU patients' mental health and communication-board-guided spiritual care best practices. Results: Chaplain awareness of ICU sedation practices, signs of delirium, and depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder in ICU survivors increased significantly (all p < 0.001). Knowledge about using tagged yes/no questions to communicate with nonvocal patients increased from 38% to 87%, p < 0.001. Self-reported skill and comfort in providing communication-board-guided spiritual care increased from a median (interquartile range) score of 4 (2-6) to 7 (5-8) and 6 (4-8) to 8 (6-9), respectively (both p < 0.001). One year later, 31% of chaplains reported providing communication-board-guided spiritual care in the ICU. Conclusions: A single chaplain-led seminar taught chaplains about ICU patients' psychoemotional distress, trained chaplains in assistive communication skills with nonvocal patients, and led to the use of communication-board-guided spiritual care in the ICU for up to one year later.

Integrating Palliative Care Social Workers into Subacute Settings: Feasibility of the Assessing & Listening to Individual Goals and Needs Intervention Trial

Objectives: Determine feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of the Palliative Care Social Worker-led ALIGN (Assessing & Listening to Individual Goals and Needs) intervention in older persons admitted to Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) and their caregivers. Design: A pilot pragmatic randomized stepped wedge design of ALIGN versus usual care in three SNFs. Setting and Participants: One hundred and twenty older adults and caregivers (optional) with advanced medical illnesses. Measures: Primary outcomes were feasibility and acceptability. We collected exploratory patient-/caregiver-centered outcomes at baseline and three months and conducted a medical record review at six months to assess documentation of Advance Directives (AD). We also collected exploratory health care utilization data, including hospitalizations, mortality, and hospice utilization. Results: Of 179 patients approached, 120 enrolled (60 ALIGN patients with 15 caregivers and 60 usual care patients and 21 caregivers). Four intervention patients refused ALIGN visits, 8 patients died or discharged before initial visit, and 48 intervention patients received ALIGN visits, with ∼80% having caregivers participating in visits, regardless of caregiver study enrollment. Quantitative exploratory outcomes were not powered to detect a difference between groups. We found 91% of ALIGN patients had a completed AD in medical record compared to 39.6% of usual care patients (p < 0.001). Qualitative feedback from participants and SNF staff supported high acceptability and satisfaction with ALIGN. Conclusion and Clinical Implications: A pragmatic trial of the ALIGN intervention is feasible and preliminary effects suggest ALIGN is effective in increasing AD documentation. Further research is warranted to understand effects on caregivers and health care utilization. The current model for SNF does not address the palliative care needs of patients. ALIGN has potential to be an effective, scalable, acceptable, and reproducible intervention to improve certain palliative care outcomes within subacute settings.

Operationalizing needs-focused palliative care for older adults in intensive care units: Design of and rationale for the PCplanner randomized clinical trial

INTRODUCTION

The number of older adults who receive life support in an intensive care unit (ICU), now 2 million per year, is increasing while survival remains unchanged. Because the quality of ICU-based palliative care is highly variable, we developed a mobile app intervention that integrates into the electronic health records (EHR) system called PCplanner (Palliative Care planner) with the goal of improving collaborative primary and specialist palliative care delivery in ICU settings.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the methods of a randomized clinical trial (RCT) being conducted to compare PCplanner vs. usual care.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The goal of this two-arm, parallel group mixed methods RCT is to determine the clinical impact of the PCplanner intervention on outcomes of interest to patients, family members, clinicians, and policymakers over a 3-month follow up period. The primary outcome is change in unmet palliative care needs measured by the NEST instrument between baseline and 1 week post-randomization. Secondary outcomes include goal concordance of care, patient-centeredness of care, and quality of communication at 1 week post-randomization; length of stay; as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder at 3 months post-randomization. We will use general linear models for repeated measures to compare outcomes across the main effects and interactions of the factors. We hypothesize that compared to usual care, PCplanner will have a greater impact on the quality of ICU-based palliative care delivery across domains of core palliative care needs, psychological distress, patient-centeredness, and healthcare resource utilization.

[Geriatric intensive care : Consensus paper of DGIIN, DIVI, DGAI, DGGG, ÖGGG, ÖGIAIN, DGP, DGEM, DGD, DGNI, DGIM, DGKliPha and DGG]

The proportion of elderly, frail, and multimorbid people has increased dramatically in recent decades resulting from demographic changes and will further increase, which will impact acute medical care. Prospective, randomized studies on geriatric intensive care are still lacking. There are also no international or national recommendations regarding the management of critically ill elderly patients. Based on an expert opinion, this consensus paper provides 16 statements that should be considered when dealing with geriatric critical care patients.

Prehospital Frailty and Screening Criteria for Palliative Care Services in Critically Ill Older Adults: An Observational Cohort Study

Background: The use of formalized criteria (or triggers) for palliative care services (PCSs) has been associated with increased use of PCSs in the intensive care unit (ICU). Objective: To explore the utility/validity of frailty as a trigger for providing PCSs. Design: This is a prospective cohort study. Setting/Subjects: Older adults (age ≥50 years) admitted to ICUs were enrolled. Measurements: We measured frailty using the Clinical Frailty Scale. We reviewed electronic health records for the presence/absence of six evidence-based triggers, the use and quality of specialty palliative care (SPC), and markers of primary palliative care (PPC). We used descriptive statistics to describe the differences in PPC, SPC, and six-month mortality by frailty and by the presence/absence of triggers. Results: In a study population of 302 older adults, mean (standard deviation) age 67.2 years (10.5), 151 (50%) were frail and 105 (34.8%) had ≥1 trigger for PCSs. Of the 151 (55.6%) frail patients, 84 had no triggers for PCSs, despite a 46.4% six-month mortality in this group. Patients with ≥1 trigger had higher rates of SPC than those without (39.1% vs. 18.3%, p < 0.001); frail patients also had higher SPC than nonfrail patients (32.5% vs. 18.5%, p = 0.006). Patients with ≥1 trigger had higher rates of PPC than those without (66.7% vs. 44.2%, p < 0.001); no statistically significant difference in PPC was found by frailty (56.3% vs. 47.7%, p = 0.134). Conclusion: The rates of PCSs and six-month mortality by frailty are consistent with frailty being a valid trigger for PCSs in ICUs; the high prevalence of frailty relative to triggers suggests that ways to increase PCSs would be needed.

[Geriatric intensive care : Consensus paper of DGIIN, DIVI, DGAI, DGGG, ÖGGG, ÖGIAIN, DGP, DGEM, DGD, DGNI, DGIM, DGKliPha and DGG]

The proportion of elderly, frail, and multimorbid people has increased dramatically in recent decades resulting from demographic changes and will further increase, which will impact acute medical care. Prospective, randomized studies on geriatric intensive care are still lacking. There are also no international or national recommendations regarding the management of critically ill elderly patients. Based on an expert opinion, this consensus paper provides 16 statements that should be considered when dealing with geriatric critical care patients.

Supporting the Geriatric Critical Care Patient: Decision Making, Understanding Outcomes, and the Role of Palliative Care

Geriatric admissions to the intensive care unit (ICU) are common and require unique considerations for ICU clinicians. Admission to the ICU should be considered on an individual-patient basis. It is reasonable to consider a "trial of critical care" for many patients, even those who have uncertain chances of meaningful recovery. Quality of life and functional independence are especially important to older adults, and these outcomes should be considered when weighing the risks and benefits of admission or continuing ICU care.

The Clinical Course after Long-Term Acute Care Hospital Admission among Older Medicare Beneficiaries

OBJECTIVES

Long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals provide extended complex post-acute care to more than 120 000 Medicare beneficiaries annually, with the goal of helping patients to regain independence and recover. Because little is known about patients' long-term outcomes, we sought to examine the clinical course after LTAC admission.

DESIGN

Nationally representative 5-year cohort study using 5% Medicare data from 2009 to 2013.

SETTING

LTAC hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS

Hospitalized Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries 65 years of age or older who were transferred to an LTAC hospital.

MEASUREMENTS

Mortality, recovery (defined as achieving 60 consecutive days alive without inpatient care), time spent in an inpatient facility following LTAC hospital admission, receipt of an artificial life-prolonging procedure (feeding tube, tracheostomy, hemodialysis), and palliative care physician consultation.

RESULTS

Of 14 072 hospitalized older adults transferred to an LTAC hospital, median survival was 8.3 months, and 1- and 5-year survival rates were 45% and 18%, respectively. Following LTAC admission, 53% never achieved a 60-day recovery. The median time of their remaining life a patient spent as an inpatient after LTAC admission was 65.6% (interquartile range = 21.4%-100%). More than one-third (36.9%) died in an inpatient setting, never returning home after the LTAC admission. During the preceding hospitalization and index LTAC admission, 30.9% received an artificial life-prolonging procedure, and 1% had a palliative care physician consultation.

CONCLUSION

Hospitalized older adults transferred to LTAC hospitals have poor survival, spend most of their remaining life as an inpatient, and frequently undergo life-prolonging procedures. This prognostic understanding is essential to inform goals of care discussions and prioritize healthcare needs for hospitalized older adults admitted to LTAC hospitals. Given the exceedingly low rates of palliative care consultations, future research is needed to examine unmet palliative care needs in this population. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2282-2288, 2019.

Long-Term Acute Care Hospital Use of Non-Mechanically Ventilated Hospitalized Older Adults

OBJECTIVES

To determine why non-mechanically ventilated hospitalized older adults are transferred to long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals rather than remaining in the hospital.

DESIGN

Observational cohort.

SETTING

National Medicare data.

PARTICIPANTS

Non-mechanically ventilated hospitalized adults aged 65 and older with fee-for-service Medicare in 2012 who were transferred to an LTAC hospital (n=1,831) or had a prolonged hospitalization without transfer (average hospital length of stay or longer of those transferred to an LTAC hospital) and had one of the 50 most common hospital diagnoses leading to LTAC transfer (N=12,875).

MEASUREMENTS

We assessed predictors of transfer using a multilevel model, adjusting for patient-, hospital-, and hospital referral region (HRR)-level factors. We estimated proportions of variance at each level and adjusted hospital- and HRR-specific LTAC transfer rates using sequential models.

RESULTS

The strongest predictor of transfer was being hospitalized near an LTAC hospital (<1.4 vs > 33.6 miles, adjusted odds ratio=6.2, 95% confidence interval (CI)=4.2-9.1). After adjusting for case mix, differences between hospitals explained 15.4% of the variation in LTAC use and differences between regions explained 27.8%. Case mix-adjusted LTAC use was high in the South, where many HRRs had rates between 20.3% and 53.1%, whereas many HRRs were less than 5.4% in the Pacific Northwest, North, and New England. From our fully adjusted model, the median adjusted hospital LTAC transfer rate was 7.2% (interquartile range 2.8-17.5%), with substantial within-region variation (intraclass coefficient=0.25, 95% CI=0.21-0.30).

CONCLUSIONS

Nearly half of the variation in LTAC use is independent of illness severity and is explained by which hospital and what region the individual was hospitalized in. Because of the greater fragmentation of care and Medicare spending with LTAC transfers (because LTAC hospitals generate a separate bundled payment from the hospital), greater attention is needed to define the optimal role of LTAC hospitals in caring for older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 66:2112-2119, 2018.

Association between the Availability of Hospital-based Palliative Care and Treatment Intensity for Critically Ill Patients

RATIONALE

In the intensive care unit (ICU), studies involving specialized palliative care services have shown decreases in the use of nonbeneficial life-sustaining therapies and ICU length of stay for patients. However, whether widespread availability of hospital-based palliative care is associated with less frequent use of high intensity care is unknown.

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether availability of hospital-based palliative care is associated with decreased markers of treatment intensity for ICU patients.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study of adult ICU patients in New York State hospitals, 2008-2014. Multilevel regression was used to assess the relationship between availability of hospital-based palliative care during the year of admission and hospital length of stay, use of mechanical ventilation, dialysis and artificial nutrition, placement of a tracheostomy or gastrostomy tube, days in ICU and discharge to hospice.

RESULTS

Of 1,025,503 ICU patients in 151 hospitals, 814,794 (79.5%) received care in a hospital with a palliative care program. Hospital length of stay was similar for patients in hospitals with and without palliative care programs (6 d [interquartile range, 3-12] vs. 6 d [interquartile range, 3-11]; adjusted rate ratio, 1.04 [95% confidence interval 1.03-1.05]; P < 0.001), as were other healthcare use outcomes. However, patients in hospitals with palliative care programs were 46% more likely to be discharged to hospice than those in hospitals without palliative care programs (1.7% vs. 1.4%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.46 [95% confidence interval 1.30-1.64]; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The availability of hospital-based palliative care was not associated with differences in in-hospital treatment intensity, but it was associated with significantly increased hospice use for ICU patients. Currently, the measurable benefit of palliative care programs for critically ill patients may be the increased use of hospice facilities, as opposed to decreased healthcare use during an ICU-associated hospitalization.

Predictors of Posthospital Transitions of Care in Patients With Advanced Cancer

Purpose Patients with advanced cancer experience potentially burdensome transitions of care after hospitalizations. We examined predictors of discharge location and assessed the relationship between discharge location and survival in this population. Methods We conducted a prospective study of 932 patients with advanced cancer who experienced an unplanned hospitalization between September 2014 and March 2016. Upon admission, we assessed patients' physical symptoms (Edmonton Symptom Assessment System) and psychological distress (Patient Health Questionnaire-4). The primary outcome was discharge location (home without hospice, postacute care [PAC], or hospice [any setting]). The secondary outcome was survival. Results Of 932 patients, 726 (77.9%) were discharged home without hospice, 118 (12.7%) were discharged to PAC, and 88 (9.4%) to hospice. Those discharged to PAC and hospice reported high rates of severe symptoms, including dyspnea, constipation, low appetite, fatigue, depression, and anxiety. Using logistic regression, patients discharged to PAC or hospice versus home without hospice were more likely to be older (odds ratio [OR], 1.03; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.05; P < .001), live alone (OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.25 to 3.02; P < .003), have impaired mobility (OR, 5.08; 95% CI, 3.46 to 7.45; P < .001), longer hospital stays (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.20; P < .001), higher Edmonton Symptom Assessment System physical symptoms (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.003 to 1.032; P < .017), and higher Patient Health Questionnaire-4 depression symptoms (OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.25; P < .027). Patients discharged to hospice rather than PAC were more likely to receive palliative care consultation (OR, 4.44; 95% CI, 2.12 to 9.29; P < .001) and have shorter hospital stays (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.77 to 0.91; P < .001). Patients discharged to PAC versus home had lower survival (hazard ratio, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.22 to 1.93; P < .001). Conclusion Patients with advanced cancer who were discharged to PAC facilities and hospice had substantial physical and psychological symptom burden, impaired physical function, and inferior survival compared with those discharged to home. These patients may benefit from interventions to enhance their quality of life and care.

Role of long-term acute care in reducing hospital readmission

Long-term acute care hospitals (LTACs) are health care facilities capable of admitting complex patients with high acuity that are unable to return home after hospitalization in acute care. Its defining characteristic is to accommodate patients for a length of stay greater than 25 days, however, little is known about its role of preventing hospital readmissions. Created in the 1980s, these facilities were designed to help acute care facilities improve their resource management, expenditures, and quality of care. Although these units were initially created for chronic ventilator weaning, their scope of practice has broadened. This article analyzes studies and suggests role of LTACs in reducing hospital readmissions.

Nursing home care trajectories for older adults following in-hospital palliative care consultation

Palliative care consultation (PCC) during hospitalization is increasingly common for older adults with life-limiting illness discharged to nursing homes. The objective of this qualitative descriptive study was to describe the care trajectories and experiences of older adults admitted to a nursing home following a PCC during hospitalization. Twelve English-speaking adults, mean age 80 years, who received a hospital PCC and discharge to a nursing home without hospice. Data were collected from medical records at five time points from hospital discharge to 100 days after nursing home admission and care trajectories were mapped. Interviews (n = 15) with participants and surrogates were combined with each participant's medical record data. Content analysis was employed on the combined dataset. All PCC referrals were for goals of care conversations during which the PCC team discussed poor prognosis. All participants were admitted to a nursing home under the Medicare skilled nursing facility benefit. Seven were rehospitalized; six of the 12 died within 6 weeks of initial nursing home admission. The two care trajectories were Focus on Rehabilitative Care and Comfort Care Continuity. There was a heavy emphasis on recovering functional status through rehabilitation and skilled nursing care, despite considerable symptom burden and poor prognosis. Regardless of PCC with recommendations for palliative interventions, frail older adults with limited life expectancy and their family caregivers often perceive that rehabilitation will improve physical function. This perception may contribute to inappropriate, ineffective care. More emphasis is needed to coordinate care between PCC recommendations and post-acute care.

The Frailty Phenotype and Palliative Care Needs of Older Survivors of Critical Illness

OBJECTIVES

To assess symptoms in older intensive care unit (ICU) survivors and determine whether post-ICU frailty identifies those with the greatest palliative care needs.

DESIGN

A prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Urban tertiary care hospital and community hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

Medical ICU survivors of mechanical ventilation aged 65 and older (N = 125).

MEASUREMENTS

Baseline measurements of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), categorized as mild (0-3), moderate (4-6), and severe (7-10), and the frailty phenotype were made during the week before hospital discharge. Functional recovery was defined as a return to a Katz activity of daily living dependency count less than or equal to the prehospitalization dependency count within 3 months. In the last 29 participants recruited, we made additional assessments of fatigue and ESAS both at baseline and 1 month after discharge.

RESULTS

Fatigue was the most-prevalent moderate to severe symptom (74%), followed by dyspnea (53%), drowsiness (50%), poor appetite (47%), pain (45%), depression (42%), anxiety (36%), and nausea (17%). At 1-month follow-up, there were no significant differences in the proportions of participants with moderate to severe symptoms. Each increase in baseline ESAS fatigue severity category was associated with 55% lower odds of functional recovery (odds ratio = 0.45, 95% confidence interval = 0.24-0.84), independent of age, sex, comorbidities, and critical illness severity. Frail participants had a higher median baseline total ESAS symptom distress score (34, interquartile range (IQR) 23-44) than nonfrail participants (13, IQR 9-22) (P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Older ICU survivors have a high burden of palliative care needs that persist 1 month after discharge. Fatigue is the most-prevalent symptom and may interfere with recovery. Post-ICU frailty may be a useful trigger for palliative care consultation and a treatment target.

Palliative Care

Palliative care is a specialty of medicine that focuses on improving quality of life for patients with serious illness and their families. As the limitations of intensive care and the long-term sequelae of critical illness continue to be delimited, the role of palliative care for patients that are unable to achieve their original goals of care, as well as for survivors of critical illness, is changing and expanding. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce readers to the specialty of palliative care and its potential benefits for critically ill patients, and to present some of the issues related to the delivery of palliative care in surgical units.

Hospital Palliative Care Teams and Post-Acute Care in Nursing Facilities: An Integrative Review

Although palliative care consultation teams are common in U.S. hospitals, follow up and outcomes of consultations for frail older adults discharged to nursing facilities are unclear. To summarize and critique research on the care of patients discharged to nursing facilities following a hospital-based palliative care consult, a systematic search of PubMed, CINAHL, Ageline, and PsycINFO was conducted in February 2016. Data from the articles (N = 12) were abstracted and analyzed. The results of 12 articles reflecting research conducted in five countries are presented in narrative form. Two studies focused on nurse perceptions only, three described patient/family/caregiver experiences and needs, and seven described patient-focused outcomes. Collectively, these articles demonstrate that disruption in palliative care service on hospital discharge and nursing facility admission may result in high symptom burden, poor communication, and inadequate coordination of care. High mortality was also noted. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2017; 10(1):25-34.].

Patterns of palliative care service consultation in a sample of critically ill ICU patients at high risk of dying

OBJECTIVE

Describe patterns of palliative care service consultation among a sample of ICU patients at high risk of dying.

BACKGROUND

Patients receiving mechanical ventilation (MV) face threats to comfort, social connectedness and dignity due to pain, heavy sedation and physical restraint. Palliative care consultation services may mitigate poor outcomes.

METHODS

From a dataset of 1440 ICU patients with ≥2 days of MV and ≥12 h of sustained wakefulness, we identified those at high risk of dying and/or who died and assessed patterns of sub-specialty palliative care consultation.

RESULTS

About half (773/1440 [54%]) were at high risk of dying or died, 73 (9.4%) of whom received palliative care consultation. On average, referral occurred after 62% of the ICU stay had elapsed. Primary reason for consult was clarification of goals of care (52/73 [72.2%]).

CONCLUSIONS

Among MV ICU patients at high risk of dying, palliative care service consultation occurs late and infrequently, suggesting a role for earlier palliative care.

Transitions to End-of-Life Care for Patients With Chronic Critical Illness: A Meta-Synthesis

BACKGROUND

Adults with chronic critical illness (CCI) frequently experience a terminal trajectory but receive varying degrees of palliation and end-of-life care (EOLC) in intensive care units (ICUs). Why palliation (over curative treatment) is not augmented earlier for patients with CCI in ICU is not well understood.

PURPOSE

To identify the social structures that contribute to timely, context-dependent decisions for transition from acute care to EOLC for patients with CCI and their families.

METHODS

We conducted a meta-synthesis of qualitative and/or mixed-method studies that recruited adults with CCI, their families or close friends, and/or health-care providers (HCPs) in an ICU environment.

RESULTS

Five studies reported data from 83 patients, 109 family members, and 57 HCPs across 5 institutions in Canada and the United States. Overall, we found that morally ambiguous social expectations of treatment tended to lock in HCPs to focus on prescriptive work of preserving life, despite pathways that could "open" access to augmenting palliation and EOLC. This process limited space for families' reflexivity and reappraisal of CCI as a phase liminal to active dying. Notably, EOLC mechanisms were informal and less visible.

CONCLUSION

The management of dying is one of the central tenets of ICU care. Our findings suggest that patients and families need help in negotiating meanings of this situation and in using mechanisms that allow reappraisal and permit understanding of CCI as a phase liminal to dying. Moreover, these mechanisms may paradoxically reduce the ambiguity of patients' future, allowing them to live more fully in the present.

The Prevalence of Inpatients at 33 U.S. Hospitals Appropriate for and Receiving Referral to Palliative Care

BACKGROUND

The extent of unmet need for palliative care in U.S. hospitals remains largely unknown. We conducted a multisite cross-sectional, retrospective point prevalence analysis to determine the size and characteristics of the population of inpatients at 33 U.S. hospitals who were appropriate for palliative care referral, as well as the percentage of these patients who were referred for and/or received palliative care services. We also conducted a qualitative assessment of barriers and facilitators to referral, focusing on organizational characteristics that might influence palliative care referral practices.

METHODS

Patients appropriate for palliative care referral were defined as adult (≥18 years) patients with any diagnosis of a poor-prognosis cancer, New York Heart Association class IV congestive heart failure, or oxygen-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who had inpatient status in 1 of 33 hospitals on May 13, 2014. Qualitative assessment involved interviews of palliative care team members and nonpalliative care frontline providers.

RESULTS

Nearly 19% of inpatients on the point prevalence day were deemed appropriate for palliative care referral. Of these, approximately 39% received a palliative care referral or services. Delivery of palliative care services to these patients varied widely among participating hospitals, ranging from approximately 12% to more than 90%. Factors influencing differences in referral practices included nonstandardized perceptions of referral criteria and variation in palliative care service structures.

CONCLUSION

This study provides useful information to guide providers, administrators, researchers, and policy experts in planning for optimal provision of palliative care services to those in need.

Integrating palliative care in the ICU

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Although providing palliative care in the ICU has become a priority, the success of different methods to integrate palliative care into the ICU has varied. This review examines the current evidence supporting the different models of palliative care delivery and highlights areas for future study.

RECENT FINDINGS

The need for palliative care for ICU patients is substantial. A large percentage of patients meet criteria for palliative care consultation and there is frequent use of intensive care and other nonbeneficial care at the end of life. Overall, the consultative model of palliative care appears to have more of an impact on patient care. However, given the current workforce shortage of palliative care providers, a sustainable model of delivering palliative care requires both an effective integrative model, in which palliative care is delivered by ICU clinicians, and appropriate use of the consultative model, in which palliative care consultation is reserved for patients at highest risk of having unmet or long-term palliative care needs.

SUMMARY

Developing a mixed model of palliative care delivery is necessary to meet the palliative care needs of critically ill patients. Efforts focused on improving integrative models and appropriately targeting the use of palliative care consultants are needed.

Measuring and predicting long-term outcomes in older survivors of critical illness

Older adults (age ≥65 years) now initially survive what were previously fatal critical illnesses, but long-term mortality and disability after critical illness remain high. Most studies show that the majority of deaths among older ICU survivors occur during the first 6 to 12 months after hospital discharge. Less is known about the relationship between critical illness and subsequent cause of death, but longitudinal studies of ICU survivors of pneumonia, stroke, and those who require prolonged mechanical ventilation suggest that many debilitated older ICU survivors die from recurrent infections and sepsis. Recent studies of older ICU survivors have created a new standard for longitudinal critical care outcomes studies with a systematic evaluation of pre-critical illness comorbidities and disability and detailed assessments of physical and cognitive function after hospital discharge. These studies show that after controlling for pre-morbid health, older ICU survivors experience large and persistent declines in cognitive and physical function after critical illness. Long-term health-related quality-of-life studies suggest that some older ICU survivors may accommodate to a degree of physical disability and still report good emotional and social well-being, but these studies are subject to survivorship and proxy-response bias. In order to risk-stratify older ICU survivors for long-term (6-12 months) outcomes, we will need a paradigm shift in the timing and type of predictors measured. Emerging literature suggests that the initial acuity of critical illness will be less important, whereas prehospitalization estimates of disability and frailty, and, in particular, measures of comorbidity, frailty, and disability near the time of hospital discharge will be essential in creating reliable long-term risk-prediction models.

Estimates of the need for palliative care consultation across united states intensive care units using a trigger-based model

RATIONALE

Use of triggers for palliative care consultation has been advocated in intensive care units (ICUs) to ensure appropriate specialist involvement for patients at high risk of unmet palliative care needs. The volume of patients meeting these triggers, and thus the potential workload for providers, is unknown.

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the prevalence of ICU admissions who met criteria for palliative care consultation using different sets of triggers.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study of ICU admissions from Project IMPACT for 2001-2008. We assessed the prevalence of ICU admissions meeting one or more primary palliative care triggers, and prevalence meeting any of multiple sets of triggers.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Overall, 53,124 (13.8%) ICU admissions met one or more primary triggers for palliative care consultation. Variation in prevalence was minimal across different types of units (mean 13.3% in medical ICUs to 15.8% in trauma/burn ICUs; P = 0.41) and individual units (mean 13.8%, median 13.0%, interquartile range, 10.2-16.5%). A comprehensive model combining multiple sets of triggers identified a total of 75,923 (19.7%) ICU admissions requiring palliative care consultation; of them, 85.4% were captured by five triggers: (1) ICU admission after hospital stay greater than or equal to 10 days, (2) multisystem organ failure greater than or equal to three systems, (3) stage IV malignancy, (4) status post cardiac arrest, and (5) intracerebral hemorrhage requiring mechanical ventilation.

CONCLUSIONS

Approximately one in seven ICU admissions met triggers for palliative care consultation using a single set of triggers, with an upper estimate of one in five patients using multiple sets of triggers; these estimates were consistent across different types of ICUs and individual units. These results may inform staffing requirements for providers to ensure delivery of specialized palliative care to ICU patients nationally.