OBJECTIVES: Early palliative medicine consult in the ICU can significantly improve outcomes in high-risk patients. We describe a pilot study of including a recommendation for palliative medicine consult in the ICU morning huddle. DESIGN: A prospective, observational, quality improvement study. PATIENTS AND SETTING: Adult patients (age above 18 yr) admitted with cardiac arrest, stage IV cancer, admission from a long-term acute care facility, and circulatory shock on mechanical ventilation to the medical ICU. INTERVENTIONS: We aim to assess the effect of an early palliative medicine consultation in selected high-risk patients on change in code status, referral to hospice, tracheostomy, and or percutaneous gastrostomy tube placement. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: There were 83 patients who triggered an early palliative medicine consult. Palliative medicine consultation occurred in 44 patients (53%); 23 patients (28%) had a palliative medicine consult within the first 48 hours, 21 (25%) had a palliative medicine consult afterwards. There was a significantly higher number of patients who de-escalated their code status in the palliative medicine consult group compared with the no palliative medicine consult group (63.6% vs 7.7%); however, the number was higher in the late palliative medicine consult group (71.4% vs 56.5%). There were more patients referred to hospice in the palliative medicine consult group. No difference in length of stay was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Early palliative medicine consultation in the daily ICU morning huddle is achievable, can produce a palliative medicine consultation in most cases, and results in a significant change in code status toward less aggressive measures.

Early palliative medicine consultation in the intensive care unit (ICU) for selected patients can significantly change code status and increase referral to hospice, yet it remains underutilized. The morning huddle is a multidisciplinary team brief meeting prior to rounds with a focus on patient care. We describe a pilot study of including a palliative medicine consult in the daily ICU morning huddle.