Changes in medication profile among patients with advanced cancer admitted to an acute palliative care unit.

PURPOSE: The decision-making process for medication use in the last weeks of life is complex because of patient frailty and poor prognosis. Limited literature is available on medication use in the palliative care setting, particularly in acute palliative care units (APCUs). We examined the changes in medication profile among hospitalized patients with advanced cancer before their palliative care inpatient consultation team referral, after palliative care consultation, at the time of APCU admission, and at APCU discharge or death. METHODS: We included consecutive patients with advanced cancer who were first seen by our inpatient palliative care consultation team and subsequently admitted to the APCU. We retrieved data on all scheduled medications at the prespecified time points. RESULTS: Among the 100 patients, the median duration of hospitalization was 10.5 days (interquartile range 8-15 days), and the median APCU stay was 5 days (interquartile range 3-7 days). The average number of medications before palliative care inpatient consultation team referral, after palliative care consultation, at APCU admission and at APCU discharge/death was 9.2 (standard deviation [SD] 4.5), 9.9 (SD 4.2), 10.3 (SD 3.8), and 10.1 (SD 3.8), respectively (P = 0.03). An increasing proportion of patients received medications for symptom control over their course of hospitalization, including systemic corticosteroids, laxatives, neuroleptics, and antiulcer agents (P < 0.05). In contrast, the frequency of several classes of medications such as antihypertensives, antilipemics, and anticonvulsants decreased over time (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Palliative care involvement was associated with an increase in symptom control medications and decrease in medications for comorbid conditions over time.

The need for a multidisciplinary approach to pain management in advanced cancer: A clinical case.

Advanced cancer patients are often affected by multiple complex symptoms brought about by persistent nociceptive stimuli and intense psychosocial distress. One such complex symptom, cancer pain, has continued to pose a challenge in medical management even though the concept of total pain was described several years ago by Cicely Saunders. Oftentimes, the application of a multidisciplinary approach is delayed after numerous opioid dose escalations and invasive procedures have been performed. The case presented here highlights the importance of timely multidisciplinary intervention and the use of an acute palliative care unit, which resulted in adequate pain control after multiple medical and invasive procedures that caused toxicities.

Quality of end-of-life care in patients with hematologic malignancies: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: To the authors' knowledge, only limited data are available regarding the quality of end-of-life care for patients with hematologic malignancies. In this retrospective cohort study, the quality of end-of-life care was compared between patients with hematologic malignancies and those with solid tumors. METHODS: All adult patients who died of advanced cancer between September 1, 2009 and February 28, 2010 while under the care of the study institution were included. The authors collected baseline demographics and end-of-life care indicators, including emergency room visits, hospitalization, intensive care unit admissions, and systemic cancer therapy use within the last 30 days of life. RESULTS: Of a total of 816 decedents, 113 (14%) had hematologic malignancies. In the last 30 days of life, patients with hematologic malignancies were more likely to have emergency room visits (54% vs 43%; P = .03), hospital admissions (81% vs 47%; P < .001), ≥ 2 hospital admissions (23% vs 10%; P < .001), > 14 days of hospitalization (38% vs 8%; P < .001), intensive care unit admissions (39% vs 8%; P < .001) and death (33% vs 4%; P < .001), chemotherapy use (43% vs 14%; P < .001), and targeted therapy use (34% vs 11%; P < .001) compared with patients with solid tumors. Patients with hematologic malignancies were also less likely to have palliative care unit admissions (8% vs 17%; P = .02). The composite score for aggressiveness of care (with 0 indicating the best and 6 indicating the worst) was significantly higher among patients with hematologic malignancies compared with those with solid tumors (median, 2 vs 0; P < .001). On multivariate analysis, hematologic malignancy was found to be a significant factor associated with aggressive end-of-life care (odds ratio, 6.6; 95% confidence interval, 4.1-10.7 [P < .001]). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study indicate that patients with hematologic malignancies received more aggressive care at the end of life.

Concepts and definitions for "actively dying," "end of life," "terminally ill," "terminal care," and "transition of care": a systematic review.

CONTEXT: The terms "actively dying," "end of life," "terminally ill," "terminal care," and "transition of care" are commonly used but rarely and inconsistently defined. OBJECTIVES: We conducted a systematic review to examine the concepts and definitions for these terms. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, and CINAHL for published peer-reviewed articles from 1948 to 2012 that conceptualized, defined, or examined these terms. Two researchers independently reviewed each citation for inclusion and then extracted the concepts/definitions when available. We also searched 10 dictionaries, four palliative care textbooks, and 13 organization Web sites, including the U.S. Federal Code. RESULTS: One of 16, three of 134, three of 44, two of 93, and four of 17 articles defined or conceptualized actively dying, end of life, terminally ill, terminal care, and transition of care, respectively. Actively dying was defined as "hours or days of survival." We identified two key defining features for end of life, terminally ill, and terminal care: life-limiting disease with irreversible decline and expected survival in terms of months or less. Transition of care was discussed in relation to changes in 1) place of care (e.g., hospital to home), 2) level of professions providing the care (e.g., acute care to hospice), and 3) goals of care (e.g., curative to palliative). Definitions for these five terms were rarely found in dictionaries, textbooks, and organizational Web sites. However, when available, the definitions were generally consistent with the concepts discussed previously. CONCLUSION: We identified unifying concepts for five commonly used terms in palliative care and developed a preliminary conceptual framework toward building standardized definitions.

Effect of palliative care services on the aggressiveness of end-of-life care in the Veteran's Affairs cancer population.

BACKGROUND: Cancer care near the end of life (EOL) has become more aggressive over the years. Palliative care services (PCS) may decrease this aggressive cancer care in terminally ill cancer patients. Our objective was to observe the aggressiveness of cancer care near the EOL among Veterans Affairs cancer patients before and after the institution of a PCS team. We also assessed the time taken prior to death to initiate a PCS consultation and its effect on the aggressiveness of cancer care near the EOL. METHODS: This is a retrospective chart review analysis performed at the local Veterans Affairs hospital looking at the last 100 patients in each of the years, 2002 and 2008, who died with active cancer. Only patients in 2008 had access to a PCS team. RESULTS: In the last 30 days of life, compared to 2002, patients in 2008 had a higher incidence of: chemotherapy administration, more than one hospital admission, more than 14 days of hospital stay, intensive care unit admissions, and in-hospital deaths. Patients with timely PCS consults in 2008 appeared to have a lower incidence of: chemotherapy administration, more than one emergency department visit, more than one hospital admission, more than 14-day hospital stays, intensive care unit admissions, and deaths in the hospital. Timely PCS consults were associated with earlier and more frequent hospice referral. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer care near the EOL has become more aggressive with time at one of the hospitals in the Veterans Affairs healthcare system (VAHS). Institution of a PCS service was unable to completely decrease this trend of increasing aggressiveness of cancer care near the EOL. However, timely PCS consults may help attenuate this aggressiveness.