Characteristics Associated With Disparities Among Older Adults in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outcomes in an Academic Health Care System.

BACKGROUND: An improved understanding of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is needed to identify predictors of outcomes among older adults with COVID-19. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine patient and health system factors predictive of in-hospital mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and readmission among patients with COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A cohort study of patients aged 18 years and older with COVID-19 discharged from 5 New York hospitals within the Mount Sinai Health System (March 1, 2020-June 30, 2020). MEASURES: Patient-level characteristics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, comorbidities/serious illness, transfer from skilled nursing facility, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 viral load, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, treatments); hospital characteristics. OUTCOMES: All-cause in-hospital mortality; ICU admission; 30-day readmission. RESULTS: Among 7556 subjects, mean age 61.1 (62.0) years; 1556 (20.6%) died, 949 (12.6%) had an ICU admission, and 227 (9.1%) had a 30-day readmission. Increased age [aged 55-64: odds ratio (OR), 3.28; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.41-4.46; aged 65-74: OR, 4.67; 95% CI, 3.43-6.35; aged 75-84: OR, 10.73; 95% CI, 7.77-14.81; aged 85 y and older: OR, 20.57; 95% CI, 14.46-29.25] and comorbidities (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.16, 2.13) were independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality. Yet older adults (aged 55-64 y: OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.40-0.77; aged 65-74: OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.33-0.65; aged 75-84: OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.18-0.40; aged above 85 y: OR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.13-0.34) and those with Medicaid (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.56-0.99) were less likely to be admitted to the ICU. Race/ethnicity, crowding, population density, and health system census were not associated with study outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Increased age was the single greatest independent risk factor for mortality. Comorbidities and serious illness were independently associated with mortality. Understanding these risk factors can guide medical decision-making for older adults with COVID-19. Older adults and those admitted from a skilled nursing facility were half as likely to be admitted to the ICU. This finding requires further investigation to understand how age and treatment preferences factored into resource allocation.

How Surrogate Decision-Makers for Patients With Chronic Critical Illness Perceive and Carry Out Their Role.

OBJECTIVES: Family members commonly make medical decision for patients with chronic critical illness. This study examines how family members approach this decision-making role in real time. DESIGN: Qualitative analysis of interviews with family members in the intervention arm of a randomized controlled communication trial. SETTINGS: Medical ICUs at four U.S. hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Family members of patients with chronic critical illness (adults mechanically ventilated for ≥ 7 d and expected to remain ventilated and survive for ≥ 72 hr) who participated in the active arm of a communication intervention study. INTERVENTIONS: Family members participated in at least two content-guided, informational, and emotional support meetings led by a palliative care physician and nurse practitioner. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Grounded theory was used for qualitative analysis of 66 audio recordings of meetings with 51 family members. Family members perceived their role in four main ways: voice of the patient, advocate for the patient, advocate for others, and advocate for oneself. Their decision-making was characterized by balancing goals, sharing their role, keeping perspective, remembering previous experiences, finding sources of strength, and coping with various burdens. CONCLUSIONS: Family members take a multifaceted approach as they participate in decision-making. Understanding how surrogates perceive and act in their roles may facilitate shared decision-making among clinicians and families during critical care.

The Voice of Surrogate Decision-Makers. Family Responses to Prognostic Information in Chronic Critical Illness.

RATIONALE: Information from clinicians about the expected course of the patient's illness is relevant and important for decision-making by surrogates for chronically critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation. OBJECTIVES: To observe how surrogates of chronically critically ill patients respond to information about prognosis from palliative care clinicians. METHODS: This was a qualitative analysis of a consecutive sample of audio-recorded meetings from a larger, multisite, randomized trial of structured informational and supportive meetings led by a palliative care physician and nurse practitioner for surrogates of patients in medical intensive care units with chronic critical illness (i.e., adults mechanically ventilated for ≥7 days and expected to remain ventilated and survive for ≥72 h). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 66 audio-recorded meetings involving 51 intervention group surrogates for 43 patients were analyzed using grounded theory. Six main categories of surrogate responses to prognostic information were identified: (1) receptivity, (2) deflection/rejection, (3) emotion, (4) characterization of patient, (5) consideration of surrogate role, and (6) mobilization of support. Surrogates responded in multiple and even antithetical ways, within and across meetings. CONCLUSIONS: Prognostic disclosure by skilled clinician communicators evokes a repertoire of responses from surrogates for the chronically critically ill. Recognition of these response patterns may help all clinicians better communicate their support to patients and families facing chronic critical illness and inform interventions to support surrogate decision-makers in intensive care units. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 01230099).

Effect of Palliative Care-Led Meetings for Families of Patients With Chronic Critical Illness: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

IMPORTANCE: Family caregivers of patients with chronic critical illness experience significant psychological distress. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether family informational and emotional support meetings led by palliative care clinicians improve family anxiety and depression. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A multicenter randomized clinical trial conducted from October 2010 through November 2014 in 4 medical intensive care units (ICUs). Adult patients (aged ≥21 years) requiring 7 days of mechanical ventilation were randomized and their family surrogate decision makers were enrolled in the study. Observers were blinded to group allocation for the measurement of the primary outcomes. INTERVENTIONS: At least 2 structured family meetings led by palliative care specialists and provision of an informational brochure (intervention) compared with provision of an informational brochure and routine family meetings conducted by ICU teams (control). There were 130 patients with 184 family surrogate decision makers in the intervention group and 126 patients with 181 family surrogate decision makers in the control group. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale symptom score (HADS; score range, 0 [best] to 42 [worst]; minimal clinically important difference, 1.5) obtained during 3-month follow-up interviews with the surrogate decision makers. Secondary outcomes included posttraumatic stress disorder experienced by the family and measured by the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R; total score range, 0 [best] to 88 [worst]), discussion of patient preferences, hospital length of stay, and 90-day survival. RESULTS: Among 365 family surrogate decision makers (mean age, 51 years; 71% female), 312 completed the study. At 3 months, there was no significant difference in anxiety and depression symptoms between surrogate decision makers in the intervention group and the control group (adjusted mean HADS score, 12.2 vs 11.4, respectively; between-group difference, 0.8 [95% CI, -0.9 to 2.6]; P = .34). Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms were higher in the intervention group (adjusted mean IES-R score, 25.9) compared with the control group (adjusted mean IES-R score, 21.3) (between-group difference, 4.60 [95% CI, 0.01 to 9.10]; P = .0495). There was no difference between groups regarding the discussion of patient preferences (intervention, 75%; control, 83%; odds ratio, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.34 to 1.16; P = .14]). The median number of hospital days for patients in the intervention vs the control group (19 days vs 23 days, respectively; between-group difference, -4 days [95% CI, -6 to 3 days]; P = .51) and 90-day survival (hazard ratio, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.65 to 1.38], P = .96) were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among families of patients with chronic critical illness, the use of palliative care-led informational and emotional support meetings compared with usual care did not reduce anxiety or depression symptoms and may have increased posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. These findings do not support routine or mandatory palliative care-led discussion of goals of care for all families of patients with chronic critical illness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01230099.

Association of Functional Status and Symptom Severity Among Patients Who Received Palliative Care Consultations.

Background: The relationship between functional status and the severity of different symptoms in patients with serious illnesses has not been explored in detail. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated registry data of hospitalized patients who received inpatient palliative care consults at the Mount Sinai Health System between January 01, 2020, and December 31, 2022. The registry was approved by the local institutional review board. During the initial consult, palliative care clinicians administered the Australia-modified Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) and the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS). We extracted these measures and other variables of interest from electronic health records and billing data, and assessed the association of functional status and symptom severity for different symptoms using ordinal logistic regression models. Results: The study included 9800 patients who received a palliative care consult. When modeling the association of functional status and the severity of different symptoms, two distinct groups of symptoms emerged: Nausea, physical discomfort, anxiety, depression, and constipation were more prevalent and severe among patients with higher functional status. Conversely, drowsiness, inactivity, dyspnea, anorexia, and agitation were more prevalent and severe among patients with lower functional status. These findings remained statistically significant after adjusting for possible confounders. Conclusion: Among patients who received inpatient palliative care consults, lower functional status was associated with a higher symptom burden. Furthermore, symptom profiles differed between patients with reduced functional status and those with preserved functional status.

Referral Versus Embedded Palliative Care Consultation Among People Hospitalized With Heart Failure: A Report From a Single Center Pilot Program.

CONTEXT: Despite calls for integration into routine heart failure (HF) care, optimal palliative care delivery for people living with HF remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: Describe an innovative model of an embedded palliative care nurse practitioner (NP) within a HF team. Compare demographics and utilization among people hospitalized with HF receiving referral or embedded consultation. METHODS: Using an electronic health record-based palliative care registry, we conducted descriptive analyses and t-tests and χ2 tests, as appropriate, to examine bivariate associations between sociodemographic, clinical and utilization data of hospitalized people with HF receiving a traditional, referral-based palliative care consultation generated exclusively by the primary team vs. a novel, embedded-based consultation generated by collaboration between a palliative care NP and the advanced HF team at an urban, quaternary care academic medical center in New York City. RESULTS: During the study period from January 1, 2019-December 31, 2021, consultation volume nearly doubled with 363 consults from traditional referrals and an additional 317 consults from the newly embedded NP. People in the embedded group, as compared to referral, were younger (mean age: 60.1 vs. 71.9 years (2019); 59.2 vs. 70.4 (2020); 61.3 vs. 69.6 (2021), p-value < 0.001), more functional (median Karnofsky Performance Status: 40% vs. 30%, p-value = 0.01 (2019); 40% vs 20%, p-value < 0.0001 (2020); 40% vs. 20%, p-value = 0.02 (2021)), more likely had capacity to designate a medical decision maker (56.4% vs. 20.6%, p-value < 0.001 (2020); 76.3% vs. 49.5%, p-value < 0.001 (2021)), received earlier consultation (median days before discharge: 9.5 vs. 4 (2019); 11 vs. 5 (2020); 7 vs. 3 (2021), p-value ≤ 0.001), and more likely to discharge home (60% vs. 26%, p-value ≤ 0.001 (2019); 62.7% vs 20.6%, p-value ≤ 0.001 (2020); 42.3% vs. 28%, p-value = 0.03 (2021)). CONCLUSION: Hospitalized people living with advanced HF who received an embedded palliative care consult were younger, had higher functional status and less illness severity compared to those served by a traditional, referral-based consult.

Gender Differences Regarding Palliative Care Consultation Among Persons Hospitalized With Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care is increasingly recognized as an important aspect of heart failure (HF) management, but data on gender differences regarding palliative care needs are scarce. METHODS: We retrospectively studied patients hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of HF who received an initial palliative care consultation in the Mount Sinai Health System. From electronic health records, we extracted patient information, diagnostic codes, and the palliative care consult assessment which included the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) and the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS). The population was stratified according to self-identified gender. Unadjusted and adjusted generalized linear models were fitted to study the association of gender with KPS and ESAS scores. RESULTS: Among 667 patients with HF who received a palliative care consultation, 327 (49.0%) were women. Women with HF were older than men and less likely to be married. As compared to men, women had worse functional status, were less likely to have capacity to designate a surrogate medical decision-maker, had a higher symptom burden and were more likely to experience severe symptoms at the time of initial palliative care consultation. Differences in functional status and symptom burden were particularly pronounced in young women and women identifying as Black or Hispanic. The association of gender with functional status and symptom burden remained statistically significant after adjusting for possible confounders. CONCLUSION: As compared to men, women with HF were more severely impaired at the time of palliative care consult, and dedicated efforts to better address their needs are warranted.

Using Functional Status at the Time of Palliative Care Consult to Identify Opportunities for Earlier Referral.

Background: In order to improve early access to palliative care, strategies for monitoring referral practices in real-time are needed. Objective: To evaluate how Australia-Modified Karnofsky Performance Status (AKPS) at the time of initial palliative care consult differs between serious illnesses and could be used to identify opportunities for earlier referral. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated data from an inpatient palliative care consult registry. Serious illnesses were classified using ICD-10 codes. AKPS was assessed by palliative care clinicians during consult. Results: The AKPS distribution varied substantially between the different serious illnesses (p < 0.001). While patients with cancer and heart disease often had preserved functional status, the majority of patients with dementia, neurological, lung, liver, and renal disease were already completely bedbound at the time of initial palliative care consult. Conclusion: Measuring functional status at the time of palliative care referral could be helpful for monitoring referral practices and identifying opportunities for earlier referral.

Functional Status Changes in Patients Receiving Palliative Care Consult During COVID-19 Pandemic.

CONTEXT: Hospitalized patients with functional impairment have higher symptom burden and mortality. Little is known about how increased patient volume and acuity during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected access to palliative care among patients with functional impairment. OBJECTIVES: To examine changes in functional status and hospital outcomes among patients receiving inpatient palliative care consultation before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, multisite cohort study of all adult patients (≥ 18 years) admitted to four hospitals in New York City, USA, who received inpatient palliative care consultation between March 1, 2019 and February 28, 2022 with documented functional status at the time of consultation measured by Karnofsky Performance Status scale. RESULTS: Among 13,180 eligible patients identified, patients' functional status at the time of consultation decreased as palliative care consult volume increased with the onset of the pandemic. Compared to pre-pandemic, there was a statistically significant trend of lower functional status (P < 0.001) and higher in-hospital mortality (P < 0.001) among patients with noncancer and non-COVID-19 diagnoses two years after the pandemic. In contrast, patients with cancer had a statistically significant trend of higher functional status (P < 0.001) and no significant changes in in-hospital mortality over time. CONCLUSION: As the healthcare system was stressed with high demand and limited resources, palliative care consultation prioritized highest acuity patients by shifting towards those with lower functional status and higher in-hospital mortality. This shift disproportionately affected noncancer patients. Innovative approaches to ensure upstream palliative care consultation during increased resource constraints are needed.

Lessons Learned from an Embedded Palliative Care Model in the Medical Intensive Care Unit.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a physician (MD) and registered nurse (RN) led palliative care consultation team embedded in the medical intensive care unit (MICU). To compare patterns of palliative care consultation, and rates of goals of care documentation and in-ICU mortality before and after the implementation of the embedded team. CONTEXT: By embedding MD/RN palliative care team in the MICU, more critically ill patients with unmet palliative care needs could receive an earlier palliative care consultation. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study of patients admitted to the MICU who received a palliative care consultation, we compared sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients who received a referral-based consultation (01/01/2019-06/30/2019) and those who received an embedded MD/RN consult (09/01/2019-02/28/2020). Using the electronic health record data, we compared palliative care consultation characteristics, rates of documentation of medical decision-maker and goals of care, and percentage of in-ICU mortality between the referral group and the embedded group. RESULTS: In a six-month period, 169 MICU patients received an embedded consultation, as compared to 52 MICU patients who received a referral-based consultation. As compared to the referral-based period, those patients who received an embedded consult were seen significantly earlier in hospitalization (median number of days from hospital admission to consult: 10 days [pre] vs. 3 days [embedded], P<0.001), more likely to have documentation of medical decision-makers (40% [pre] vs. 66% [embedded], P=0.002) and goals of care (37% [pre] vs. 71% [embedded], P<0.001) and less likely to die in the hospital (75% [pre] vs. 44% [embedded], P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: After embedding a palliative care MD/RN team into the MICU, patients received earlier palliative care consultation, were more likely to have medical decision-maker and goals of care documented, and less likely to die in the hospital. Future work will examine how to adapt this model to other ICUs to improve palliative care access for critically ill patients broadly.

Kidney Supportive Care in Peritoneal Dialysis: Developing a Person-Centered Kidney Disease Care Plan.

Individuals receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD)-similar to those receiving hemodialysis -may experience high mortality coupled with a high symptom burden and reduced health-related quality of life. In this context, a discussion of the risks, benefits, and tradeoffs of PD and/or other kidney treatment modalities should be explored based on individual goals and preferences. Through these principles, kidney supportive care provides a person-centered approach to kidney disease care throughout the spectrum of kidney failure and earlier stages of chronic kidney disease. Kidney supportive care is offered in conjunction with life-prolonging therapies, including dialysis and kidney transplants, and is increasingly recognized as an integral part of advancing the care of PD patients. Using "My Kidney Care Roadmap" for shared decision making, kidney supportive care guides patients undergoing PD and their clinicians to (1) elicit patient goals, values, and priorities; (2) convey medical prognosis and suitable treatment options; and (3) ask "Which of these kidney treatment options will best help me achieve my goals and priorities?" to inform both current and future decisions, including choice of dialysis modalities, time-limited trials, and/or nondialysis management. Recognizing that patient priorities and choices may evolve, this framework ultimately allows patients to continually reassess their PD care to better achieve goal-directed dialysis.

Access to Palliative Care Consultation for Hospitalized Adults with COVID-19 in an Urban Health System: Were There Disparities at the Peak of the Pandemic?

Background: Palliative care (PC) services expanded rapidly to meet the needs of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, yet little is known about which patients were referred for PC consultation during the pandemic. Objective: Examine factors predictive of PC consultation for COVID-19 patients. Design: Retrospective cohort study of COVID-19 patients discharged from four hospitals (March 1-June 30, 2020). Exposures: Patient demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical factors and hospital-level characteristics. Outcome Measurement: Inpatient PC consultation. Results: Of 4319 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 581 (14%) received PC consultation. Increasing age, serious illness (cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and dementia), greater illness severity, and admission to the quaternary hospital were associated with receipt of PC consultation. There was no association between PC consultation and race/ethnicity, household crowding, insurance status, or hospital-factors, including inpatient, emergency department, and intensive care unit census. Conclusions: Although site variation existed, the highest acuity patients were most likely to receive PC consultation without racial/ethnic or socioeconomic disparities.

Palliative Care as Essential to a Hospital System's Pandemic Preparedness Planning: How to Get Ready for the Next Wave.

The sudden and unprecedented increase in seriously ill patients with COVID-19, coupled with both the lack of core palliative care training and expertise among frontline providers and the specialty-trained palliative care workforce shortage, produced immediate challenges to meet the needs of this novel seriously ill patient population. In this article, we describe the rapid expansion and creation of new specialty palliative care services across a health system to meet demands of the COVID-19 surge in New York City. During April 2020, 1019 patients received inpatient specialty palliative care consultations across the Mount Sinai Health System. This overview demonstrates how palliative care services can be titrated up rapidly to meet the acute increase in hospitalized persons with serious illness due to COVID-19, and how these services tailored to the changing needs across a health system.

Expanding the Palliative Care Workforce during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Evaluation of Core Palliative Care Skills in Health Social Workers.

Background: Meeting the needs of seriously ill SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) patients requires novel models of deploying health social workers (SWs) to expand the palliative care workforce. To inform such expansion, understanding the current state of health SWs' core palliative care skills is necessary. Methods: Following minimal training, health SWs in one New York City hospital were surveyed about their frequency, competence, and confidence in using core palliative care skills. Results: Of the 170 health SWs surveyed, 46 (27%) responded, of whom 21 (46%) and 24 (52%) had palliative care training before and during the COVID-19 surge, respectively. Health SWs reported a "moderate improvement" in the use of three skills: "identify a medical decision maker," "assess prognostic understanding," and "coordinate care." There was "minimal decrease" to "no improvement" to "minimal improvement" in competence and confidence of skill use. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that educational initiatives can improve health SWs' use of core palliative care skills.

Using Admission Karnofsky Performance Status as a Guide for Palliative Care Discharge Needs.

Objective: To examine the relationship between admission Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) and discharge disposition. Background: Little is known about the relationship between functional status before hospitalization and discharge disposition. Methods: In a retrospective cohort study of patients seen by Mount Sinai Hospital Medicine Primary Palliative Care Program (HPPC), we used demographic and clinical data to compare discharge disposition by patients' functional status before admission into the hospital. Results: Overall, 596 patients received HPPC consults (286 [48%] female, mean age 68.4 years, median admission KPS 40% [requires hospital level care]). Of the 33 patients with a KPS ≥60% (unable to work) 30 (91%) were discharged home, whereas those 262 patients with KPS ≤30% (severely disabled) 52 (20%) were discharged home, 40 (15%) enrolled in hospice, 130 (49.5%) discharged to a facility, and 32 (12%) died in hospital. Conclusions: Worse functional status was associated with a hospice or facility discharge and better functional status was associated with discharge home. Key Message: This retrospective cohort study examined the relationship between KPS before hospital admission and discharge disposition in hospitalized seriously ill patients admitted to the hospital medicine service who received a HPPC consultation. The results suggest that those with a higher admission KPS (more functional) are more likely to be discharged home, whereas those with a lower KPS (less functional) are more likely to be discharged to a facility or hospice. KPS before hospital admission could guide palliative care resource allocation and discharge needs.

Creating a Colocation Unit for End-of-Life Care during a Pandemic.

Background: Palliative care seeks to support the physical, psycho-social and spiritual needs of patients and families who are facing life threatening diseases. Advantages of establishing a palliative care unit, or alternatively co-locating patients, include promoting optimal physical and psychological symptom management; increased family satisfaction; and facilitating resource allocation. Objective: To design a stand-alone hospital unit to provide end of life care during a pandemic. Setting: Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH), a 1,144 bed tertiary- and quaternary-care teaching facility and Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai. Method: Tracking key indicators signaling the need for conversion to a COVID-19 unit, and identifying factors to facilitate a successful conversion. Result/Implementation: Using previously identified key focused action categories as framework, we describe our successful palliative care unit (PCU) conversion into a COVID-19 care unit. Conclusion: We believe that these operational insights gained from transforming our unit during COVID-19 will be helpful to other programs and institutions during a pandemic, or public health emergencies.

Managing pain in the elderly population: pearls and pitfalls.

While pain is a common symptom among older adults, it often is underdiagnosed and undertreated. Aging-related physiological changes, misperceptions about the use of pain medications by both patients and providers, and the lack of evidence-based clinical research on pain management in older adults are some of the reasons why pain in older adults is mismanaged. Using extrapolated evidence from pain research in younger patients, consensus statements, and best practice guidelines, this article summarizes and highlights areas of geriatric pain assessment and management that need special consideration. Some highlighted areas include 1) pain assessment in cognitively impaired patients; 2) medication choice and initiation doses; 3) duration of adequate medication trials; and 4) common medication side effects and suggested management.

A Social Worker-Led Primary Palliative Care Model for Hospitalized Patients Admitted to the Hospital Medicine Service.

Objective: To increase earlier access to palliative care, and in turn increase documented goals of care and appropriate hospice referrals for seriously ill patients admitted to hospital medicine. Background: Due to the growing number of patients with serious illness and the specialty palliative care workforce shortage, innovative primary palliative care models are essential to meet this population's needs. Methods: Patients with serious illness admitted to hospital medicine at a quaternary urban academic medical center in New York City and received an embedded palliative care social worker consultation in 2017. We used univariate analyses of sociodemographic, clinical, and utilization data to describe the sample. Results: Overall, 232 patients received a primary palliative care consultation (mean age of 69 years, 44.8% female, 34% white, median Karnofsky Performance Status of 40%), and 159 (69%) had capacity to participate in a goals-of -are conversation. Referrals were from palliative care solid tumor oncology trigger program (113 [49%]), specialty palliative care consultation team (42[18%]), and hospital medicine (34[14.6%]). Before the consultation, 10(4.3%) had documented goals of care and 207 (89%) did after the consultation. The percentage of those referred to hospice was 24.1%. Of those transferred to specialty palliative care consultation service, nearly half required symptom management. Discussion: Patients who received a primary palliative care consultation were seen earlier in their illness trajectory, based on their higher functional impairment, and the majority had capacity to participate in goals-of-care discussions, compared with those who were seen by specialty palliative care. The consultation increased goals-of-care documentation and the hospice referral rate was comparable with that of the specialty palliative consultation team.

Prevalence of Type II and Type III Workplace Violence against Physicians: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Workplace violence (WPV) in the health care sector remains a prominent, under-reported global occupational hazard and public health issue. OBJECTIVE: To determine the types and prevalence of WPV among doctors. METHODS: Primary papers on WPV in medicine were identified through a literature search in 4 health databases (Ovid Medline, EMBASE, PsychoINFO and CINAHL). The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for the mapping and identification of records. To assess the studies included in our review, we used the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme cohort review checklist and the Risk of Bias Assessment. RESULTS: 13 out of 2154 articles retrieved were reviewed. Factors outlining physician WPV included (1) working in remote health care areas, (2) understaffing, (3) mental/emotional stress of patients/visitors, (4) insufficient security, and (5) lacking preventative measures. The results of 6 studies were combined in a meta-analysis. The overall prevalence of WPV was 69% (95% CI 58% to 78%). CONCLUSION: The impact of WPV on health care institutions is profound and far-reaching; it is quite common among physicians. Therefore, steps must be taken to promote an organizational culture where there are measures to protect and promote the well-being of doctors.