A Retrospective Observational Study Exploring 30- and 90-Day Outcomes for Patients With COVID-19 After Percutaneous Tracheostomy and Gastrostomy Placement.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the 30- and 90-day outcomes of COVID-19 patients receiving tracheostomy and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Multisite, inpatient. PATIENTS: Hospitalized COVID-19 patients who received tracheostomy and PEG at four Boston hospitals. INTERVENTIONS: Tracheostomy and PEG placement. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcome was mortality at 30 and 90 days post-procedure. Secondary outcomes included continued device presence, place of residence, complications, and rehospitalizations. Eighty-one COVID-19 patients with tracheostomy and PEG placement were included. At 90 days post-device placement, the mortality rate was 9.9%, 2.7% still had the tracheostomy, 32.9% still had the PEG, and 58.9% were at home. CONCLUSIONS: More than nine-in-10 patients in our population of COVID-19 patients who underwent tracheostomy and PEG were alive 90 days later and most were living at home. This study provides new information regarding the outcomes of this patient population that may serve as a step in guiding clinicians, patients, and families when making decisions regarding these devices.

Differences between patients with cardiovascular disease and cancer referred for palliative care.

Our analysis from a national registry shows that compared to cancer, cardiovascular disease patients referred to palliative care are a decade older, have worse functional status and clinician-estimated prognosis. Both groups have very high symptom burden, with cardiovascular disease patients experiencing more dyspnea while pain, nausea, and fatigue are more common in cancer.

Unpacking resident-led code status discussions: results from a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: The quality of code status discussions (CSDs) is suboptimal as physicians often fail to discuss patients' goals of care and resuscitation outcomes. We previously demonstrated that internal medicine residents randomized to a communication skills intervention scored higher than controls on a CSD checklist using a standardized patient. However, the impact of this training on CSD content is unknown. OBJECTIVE: Compare CSD content between intervention and control residents. DESIGN: We conducted qualitative analysis of simulated CSDs. Augmenting a priori codes with constant comparative analysis, we identified key themes associated with resident determination of code status. We dichotomized each theme as present or absent. We used chi-square tests to evaluate the association between training and presence of each theme. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-six residents rotating on the internal medicine service in July 2010 were randomized to intervention (n = 25) or control (n = 31). INTERVENTION: Intervention residents completed CSD skills training (lectures, deliberate practice, and self-study). Six months later, all 56 residents completed a simulated CSD. MAIN MEASURE: Comparison of key themes identified in CSDs among intervention and controls. KEY RESULTS: Fifty-one transcripts were recorded and reviewed. Themes identified included: exploration of patient values/goals, framing code status as a patient decision, discussion of resuscitation outcomes and quality of life, and making a recommendation regarding code status. Intervention residents were more likely than controls to explore patient values/goals (p = 0.002) and make a recommendation (p < 0.001); and less likely to frame the decision as one solely to be made by the patient (p = 0.01). Less than one-third of residents discussed resuscitation outcomes or quality of life. CONCLUSION: Training positively influenced CSD content in key domains, including exploration of patient values/goals, making a recommendation regarding code status, and not framing code status as solely a patient decision. However, despite the intervention, residents infrequently discussed resuscitation outcomes and quality of life.

A Hospice Transitions Program for Patients in the Emergency Department.

Importance: Patients often visit the emergency department (ED) near the end of life. Their common disposition is inpatient hospital admission, which can result in a delayed transition to hospice care and, ultimately, an inpatient hospital death that may be misaligned with their goals of care. Objective: To assess the association of hospice use with a novel multidisciplinary hospice program to rapidly identify and enroll eligible patients presenting to the ED near end of life. Design, Setting, and Participants: This pre-post quality improvement study of a novel, multifaceted care transitions program involving a formalized pathway with email alerts, clinician training, hospice vendor expansion, metric creation, and data tracking was conducted at a large, urban tertiary care academic medical center affiliated with a comprehensive cancer center among adult patients presenting to the ED near the end of life. The control period before program launch was from September 1, 2018, to January 31, 2020, and the intervention period after program launch was from August 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022. Main Outcome and Measures: The primary outcome was a transition to hospice without hospital admission and/or hospice admission within 96 hours of the ED visit. Secondary outcomes included length of stay and in-hospital mortality. Results: This study included 270 patients (median age, 74.0 years [IQR, 62.0-85.0 years]; 133 of 270 women [49.3%]) in the control period, and 388 patients (median age, 73.0 years [IQR, 60.0-84.0 years]; 208 of 388 women [53.6%]) in the intervention period, identified as eligible for hospice transition within 96 hours of ED arrival. In the control period, 61 patients (22.6%) achieved the primary outcome compared with 210 patients (54.1%) in the intervention period (P < .001). The intervention was associated with the primary outcome after adjustment for age, race and ethnicity, primary payer, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and presence of a Medical Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) (adjusted odds ratio, 5.02; 95% CI, 3.17-7.94). In addition, the presence of a MOLST was independently associated with hospice transition across all groups (adjusted odds ratio, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.18-2.99). There was no significant difference between the control and intervention periods in inpatient length of stay (median, 2.0 days [IQR, 1.1-3.0 days] vs 1.9 days [IQR, 1.1-3.0 days]; P = .84), but in-hospital mortality was lower in the intervention period (48.5% [188 of 388] vs 64.4% [174 of 270]; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: In this quality improvement study, a multidisciplinary program to facilitate ED patient transitions was associated with hospice use. Further investigation is needed to examine the generalizability and sustainability of the program.

Adaptations within Palliative Care Delivery Models Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Background: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, all facets of palliative care provision for patients with serious illness have faced unparalleled challenges. Methods: We describe our palliative care program's response to the increased clinical volume associated with the pandemic by adapting workflows for inpatient and outpatient palliative care teams caring for oncology and nononcology populations. Results: During the initial surge, the demand for palliative care consultation for patients affected by SARS-CoV-2 was high, accounting for 75% of all inpatient palliative care referral requests for oncology and nononcology patients. Furthermore, our ambulatory clinic experienced a 40% increase in visits for complex oncology patients between February and December of 2020. Discussion: This article highlights transformations in palliative care delivery implemented in response to the pandemic and reflects on how these transformations have shaped our current care delivery models. We further delineate our intentional reliance on key population health principles to drive ongoing innovation in palliative care provision across our clinical teams.

Feasibility of frailty screening among patients with advanced heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is common among patients with advanced heart failure (HF), and screening for frailty to guide care is recommended. Although multiple tools are available to screen for frailty, the feasibility of routinely incorporating frailty screening into daily clinical practice among hospitalised advanced HF patients has not been rigorously tested. METHODS: This was a prospective, single-centre, quality improvement study. Two brief frailty screening tools were incorporated into palliative care consultations for all patients ≥50 years from August 2021 to October 2022. In the first phase, the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) was implemented, followed by the Study of Osteoporotic Fracture (SOF) tool or a modified SOF (mSOF) version in the second phase. The primary outcome was feasibility (%) of performing frailty screenings for this high-risk population. RESULTS: A total of 212 patients (mean age 69±10 years, 69% male, 79% white, 30% with ischaemic HF) were referred for palliative care consultation during the study period. Overall, frailty screens were completed in 86% (n=183) of patients. CFS and mSOF reached >80% of adoption, while SOF adoption was 54%. Altogether, 52% of the population screened frail by use of CFS and 52% also by mSOF. All clinicians (n=6) participating in the study reported that frailty screening tools were useful and acceptable, and 83% reported plans for continued utilisation in future clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS: Frailty screening with CFS or mSOF tools was feasible in hospitalised patients with advanced HF. Tools that require physical assessment were more challenging to implement. These data support the feasibility of incorporating questionnaire-based frailty screening in a busy hospital setting.

Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Delivering Specialty-Aligned Palliative Care.

Specialty-aligned palliative care (SAPC) refers to interprofessional palliative care (PC) that is delivered to a specific population of patients in close partnership with other primary or specialty clinicians. As evolving PC models address physical, psychosocial, and spiritual suffering across illnesses and settings, PC clinicians must acquire advanced knowledge of disease-specific symptoms, common treatments, and complications that impact prognosis and outcomes. The tips provided in this article draw on the experience and knowledge of interprofessional PC and other specialist clinicians from diverse institutions across the United States who have developed and studied SAPC services across different disease groups. Recommendations include focusing on approaching specialty team partnerships with humility, curiosity, and diplomacy; focusing on patient populations where PC needs are great; clarifying how work and responsibilities will be divided between PC and other clinicians to the extent possible; using consults as opportunities for bidirectional learning; and adapting workflows and schedules to meet specialty team needs while managing expectations and setting limits as appropriate. Furthermore, to provide effective SAPC, PC clinicians must learn about the specific symptoms, prognoses, and common treatments of the patients they are serving. They must also build trusting relationships and maintain open communication with patients and referring clinicians to ensure integrated and aligned PC delivery.

Relationship of health literacy to intentional and unintentional non-adherence of hospital discharge medications.

BACKGROUND: Inadequate health literacy is prevalent among seniors and is associated with poor health outcomes. At hospital discharge, medications are frequently changed and patients are informed of these changes via their discharge instructions. OBJECTIVES: Explore the association between health literacy and medication discrepancies 48 hours after hospital discharge and determine the causes of discharge medication discrepancies. DESIGN: Face-to-face surveys assessing health literacy at hospital discharge using the short form of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (sTOFHLA). We obtained the medication lists from the written discharge instructions. At 48 hrs post-discharge, we phoned subjects to assess their current medication regimen, any medication discrepancies, and the causes of the discrepancies. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred and fifty-four community-dwelling seniors ≥ 70 years, admitted to acute medicine services for >24 hours at an urban hospital. RESULTS: Of 254 seniors [mean age 79.3 yrs, 53.1% female], 142 (56%) had a medication discrepancy between their discharge instructions and their actual home medication use 48 hrs after discharge. Subjects with inadequate and marginal health literacy were significantly more likely to have unintentional non-adherence--meaning the subject did not understand how to take the medication [inadequate health literacy 47.7% vs. marginal 31.8% vs. adequate 20.5% p = 0.002]. Conversely, those with adequate health literacy were significantly more likely to have intentional non-adherence--meaning the subject understood the instructions but chose not to follow them as a reason for the medications discrepancy compared with marginal and inadequate health literacy [adequate 73.3% vs. marginal 11.1% vs. inadequate 15.6%, p < 0.001]. Another common cause of discrepancies was inaccurate discharge instructions (39.3%). CONCLUSION: Seniors with adequate health literacy are more inclined to purposefully not adhere to their discharge instructions. Seniors with inadequate health literacy are more likely to err due to misunderstanding their discharge instructions. Together, these results may explain why previous studies have shown a lack of association between health literacy and overall medication discrepancies.

Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Solid Organ Transplantation.

Solid organ transplantation (SOT) is a life-saving procedure for people with end-stage organ failure. However, patients experience significant symptom burden, complex decision making, morbidity, and mortality during both pre- and post-transplant periods. Palliative care (PC) is well suited and historically underdelivered for the transplant population. This article, written by a team of transplant specialists (surgeons, cardiologists, nephrologists, hepatologists, and pulmonologists), PC clinicians, and an ethics specialist, shares 10 high-yield tips for PC clinicians to consider when caring for SOT patients.

Specialty-Aligned Palliative Care: Responding to the Needs of a Tertiary Care Health System.

BACKGROUND: Expanding specialty palliative care within complex health systems involves consideration of patients' unmet needs, clinicians' perceptions of palliative care, and the availability of palliative care resources. Prior to this quality improvement (QI) project, palliative care services in our health system primarily served oncology patients. INTERVENTION: We undertook a prospective strategic planning process that included executive sponsorship and engagement of institutional leaders and clinicians to help define which palliative care services were most needed by the health system. MEASURES: We interviewed and surveyed a broad range of clinicians including physicians, nurse practitioners, and social workers. OUTCOMES: The two most prominent themes that emerged from the stakeholder engagement process were clinicians' wish for specialty-aligned interprofessional palliative care teams and for expansion of nononcology palliative care access. CONCLUSION: Careful needs assessment and stakeholder engagement can result in goal-directed and data-driven expansion of palliative care services within tertiary health care systems.

Improvements in cognition following hospital discharge of community dwelling seniors.

BACKGROUND: Seniors frequently struggle during the transition home following an acute hospitalization resulting in frequent rehospitalizations. Studies consistently show a lack of comprehension of discharge instructions. OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency of low cognition at hospital discharge among community dwelling seniors and the changes in cognition that occur one month following hospitalization. DESIGN: Face-to-face surveys were performed at hospital discharge and one month later in the home of the subject. The Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Backward Digit Span, and 15 Word Immediate and Delayed Recall Tests were used to evaluate cognition. Low cognition was determined to be a score of less than 25 on the MMSE for subjects with high school education and less than 18 for subjects with less than high school education. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred community-dwelling seniors ≥ 70 years, admitted to acute medicine services >24 hours, consenting to their own procedures, not having previously documented cognitive loss, and not admitted for cognitive changes. RESULTS: Upon hospital discharge, 31.5% of subjects had previously unrecognized low cognition. One month later, 58% of these patients no longer had low cognition (p < 0.001). Of those subjects with low cognition, the MMSE improved by an average of 4 points one month post-discharge. Within the MMSE, subjects experienced significant improvements in the areas of orientation, registration, repetition, comprehension, naming, reading, writing, and calculation. CONCLUSION: Low cognition at discharge is common among elderly patients without dementia, and cognition often improves one month post-hospitalization. Seniors may not comprehend discharge instructions, and patient self-management may be better taught as an outpatient following discharge rather than at the time of hospital discharge. Discharge interventions should incorporate screening of seniors for low cognition prior to hospital discharge to provide optimal transitional care.

Inadequate health literacy among paid caregivers of seniors.

BACKGROUND: Many seniors rely on paid non-familial caregivers to maintain their independence at home. Caregivers often assist with medication reminding and activities of daily living. No prior studies have examined the health literacy levels among paid non-familial caregivers. OBJECTIVES: To determine health literacy levels and the health-related responsibilities of paid non-familial caregivers of seniors. DESIGN: One-on-one face-to-face surveys. The Test for Functional Health Literacy (TOFHLA) was administered to identify health literacy levels. Caregivers were asked to demonstrate their skill in medication use by following directions on pill bottles and sorting medications into pill boxes. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-eight paid unrelated caregivers of seniors recruited at physician offices, caregiver agencies, senior shopping areas, and independent living facilities. RESULTS: Average age of caregivers was 49.5 years, and 86.7% were female. Inadequate health literacy was found in 35.7% of caregivers; 60.2% of all caregivers made errors with the pillbox test medications, showing difficulty in following label directions. Health-related tasks (i.e., medication reminding, sorting, dispensing, and accompanying seniors to physician appointments) were performed by 85.7% of caregivers. The mean age of their seniors was 83.9 years (range 65-99 years), and 82.1% were female. CONCLUSION: Paid non-familial caregivers are essential for many seniors to remain independent and maintain their health. Many caregivers perform health-related duties, but over 1/3 have inadequate health literacy and have difficulties following medication-related instructions. Educating caregivers and ascertaining their health literacy levels prior to assigning health-related tasks may be an important process in providing optimal care to seniors.

Goals of Care Conversations in Serious Illness: A Practical Guide.

Clinicians working with seriously ill patients need the skills to effectively communicate with patients and their families throughout the trajectory of illness. Common communication tasks that arise in the care of seriously ill patients include advance care planning, delivering serious news, discussing prognosis, eliciting values, and medical decision making. Clinicians often use goals of care conversations to facilitate these tasks. Similar to other procedures, goals of care conversations require a systematic, evidence-based approach to ensure quality and value. This article provides a framework that clinicians can follow to effectively communicate with seriously ill patients and families and promote patient-centered care.

Hearing loss in palliative care.

BACKGROUND: Age-related hearing loss is remarkably common, affecting more than 60% of adults over the age of 75. Moreover, hearing loss has detrimental effects on quality of life and communication, outcomes that are central to palliative care. Despite its high prevalence, there is remarkably little written on the impact of hearing loss in the palliative care literature. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to emphasize its importance and the need for further study. We use a case as a springboard for discussing what is known and unknown about the epidemiology, presentation, screening methodologies, and treatment strategies for age-related hearing loss in palliative care. DISCUSSION: The case describes a 65-year-old man with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) that has progressed despite treatment. No concerns are raised about communication challenges during conversations between the palliative care team and the patient in his quiet room. However, in the midst of a family meeting, shortly after discussing prognosis, the patient reports that he cannot hear what anyone is saying. CONCLUSION: We describe simple methods of screening patients for hearing loss, and suggest that practical approaches should be used universally in patient encounters. These include facing the patient, pitching one's voice low, using a pocket talker, and creating a hearing-friendly environment when planning a family or group meeting.