Palliative Care Consultations in Patients With Cancer: A Mayo Clinic 5-Year Review

Abstract

Purpose: We sought to characterize the aggregate features and survival of patients who receive inpatient palliative care consultation, particularly focusing on patients with cancer, to identify opportunities to improve clinical outcomes. Methods:We reviewed prospectively collected data on patients seen by the Palliative Care Inpatient Consult Service at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) from January 2003 to September 2008. Demographics, consultation characteristics, and survival were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox survival models.

Integration and activity of hospital-based palliative care consultation teams: the INSIGHT multicentric cohort study

“…The timing of referral to PCCT observed in the whole study population is late, as reported in other studies, whether retrospectively described from decedents series [8, 20], or prospectively estimated by survival analysis [9]. Even though our method for data collection allowed us to perform survival analyses, we also provide an estimate based on the decedent follow back method, which may be more feasible for teams to reproduce in their practice.…”

Evaluating the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Telehealth Program in a Rural Palliative Care Population: TapCloud for Palliative Care

“…17 The QDACT has undergone validation and usability testing and assesses seven domains: demographics, symptom assessment and management, ACP, functional status, spirituality, prognosis, caregiver assessment, and transitions/discharges. 18,19 These assessments are derived from nationally recognized quality measures such as the National Quality Forum, Measuring What Matters, and the Physician Quality Reporting System. Seventy-three of the 101 patients enrolled had QDACT encounters.…”

Dyspnea Review for the Palliative Care Professional: Assessment, Burdens, and Etiologies

“…As breathing is a primal sensation of life, its disturbance creates a visceral sense of dread that, itself, incurs suffering. Dyspnea is a reason for consultation in over 10% of palliative care inpatient consultations 1 and is the fourth most common reason for palliative care patients to visit the emergency department. 2 In this first of a two-part series on dyspnea for the palliative care professional, we review the burden, pathophysiology, and measurement of dyspnea.…”