[Palliative and Hospice Care in Nursing Homes: Discrepancies Between Theoretical Framework and Everyday Practice]. / Palliativversorgung und hospizliche Begleitung in der stationären Pflege zwischen theoretischem Konzept und Praxisalltag.

OBJECTIVES: Despite the existence of a legislative framework, palliative care and hospice support in nursing homes vary widely. Although most nursing homes have palliative care concepts by now, they are rarely integrated into everyday practice. This study aims to examine differences in palliative and hospice care and to determine the causes of discrepancies between theoretical framework and everyday practice. METHODS: Based on a pilot project, in depth structural and process analyses of two nursing homes in urban and rural areas in North Rhine-Westphalia were conducted. In addition, three nursing homes of an extended group of providers as well as an expert advisory board was included to minimize (provider-) specific characteristics and to expand findings. RESULTS: Although the proportion of palliative residents and their average age was comparable, analyses revealed significant differences between the nursing homes regarding the palliative length of stay (213.2 days vs. 88.6 days) as well as the mortality rate of palliative residents among all death cases (26% vs. 63.6%). Furthermore, internal processes within the nursing homes differed vastly despite similar concepts and procedural instructions. As a result, palliative care formally started at an earlier stage in nursing home X. Besides that, the identification of palliative care situations, as well as communication, organizational processes and the inclusion of cooperation partners, took place without fixed structures and was based on the subjective handling of staff members in both facilities. CONCLUSIONS: It turns out to be challenging for nursing homes to implement theoretical framework into everyday practice. To facilitate this process, aside from practicable assessments, defined responsibilities and organizational support, financing concepts at health policy level need to be established.

Association of the Frequency of In-Home Care Services Utilization and the Probability of In-Home Death.

Importance: The provision of end-of-life care is an important policy issue associated with population aging around the world. Yet it is unclear whether the provision of in-home care services can allow patients the option of in-home death at end of life. Objective: To assess whether the frequent use of in-home care services can assist recipients to stay at home at the end of life. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study of older adults in Japan's long-term care insurance system used national claims data. Participants were long-term care insurance beneficiaries aged 65 years or over who died in 2015, excluding those who died due to external causes such as accidents. Data analyses were conducted from October to December 2020. Exposures: Mean days of in-home care service used per week from the first day of the month before the month of death to the date of death. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcome was whether the older person died at home (or not). To address lack of information on individual preference for place of death, we used an instrumental variable estimation with the full-time equivalent number of care workers providing in-home care services per older population at the municipality level in 2014. Results: Of the 572 059 decedents included in the study, 314 743 (55.0%) were women (median [IQR] age, 87 [81-91] years). The proportion of in-home deaths was 10.5% (60 175 decedents), and 81 675 decedents (14.3%) used in-home care services at least once prior to their death. Ordinary least squares and 2-stage least squares analyses both indicated that more frequent use of in-home care was associated with a higher probability of in-home deaths (ordinary least squares estimate, 5.0 percentage points; 95% CI, 4.9-5.1 points vs 2-stage least squares estimate, 3.6 percentage points; 95% CI, 2.3-4.9 points). Conclusions and Relevance: This retrospective cohort study using an instrumental variable approach demonstrated that more frequent use of in-home care services at the end of life was associated with a higher probability of in-home death. One policy implication of these results is that in order to meet the end-of-life preferences of patients, it is not only necessary to promote the provision of medical services at home but also to ensure an adequate supply of care workers.

Identifying high-risk surgical patients: A study of older adults whose code status changed to Do-Not-Resuscitate.

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of data on older adults (age ≥65 years) undergoing surgery who had an inpatient do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order, and the association between timing of DNR order and outcomes. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of 1976 older adults in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program geriatric-specific database (2014-2018). Patients were stratified by institution of a DNR order during their surgical admission ("new-DNR" vs. "no-DNR"), and matched by age (±3 years), frailty score (range: 0-1), and procedure. The main outcome of interest was occurrence of death or hospice transition (DoH) ≤30 postoperative days; this was analyzed using bivariate and multivariable methods. RESULTS: One in 36 older adults had a new-DNR order. After matching, there were 988 new-DNR and 988 no-DNR patients. Median age and frailty score were 82 years and 0.2, respectively. Most underwent orthopedic (47.6%), general (37.6%), and vascular procedures (8.4%). Overall DoH rate ≤30 days was 44.4% for new-DNR versus 4.0% for no-DNR patients (p < 0.001). DoH rate for patients who had DNR orders placed in the preoperative, day of surgery, and postoperative setting was 16.7%, 23.3%, and 64.6%, respectively (p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, compared to no-DNR patients, those with a new-DNR order had a 28-fold higher adjusted odds of DoH (odds ratio [OR] 28.1, 95% confidence interval: 13.0-60.1, p < 0.001); however, odds were 10-fold lower if the DNR order was placed preoperatively (OR: 5.8, p = 0.003) versus postoperatively (OR: 52.9, p < 0.001). Traditional markers of poor postoperative outcomes such as American Society of Anesthesiologists class and emergency surgery were not independently associated with DoH. CONCLUSIONS: An inpatient DNR order was associated with risk of DoH independent of traditional markers of poor surgical outcomes. Further research is needed to understand factors leading to a DNR order that may aid early recognition of high-risk older adults undergoing surgery.

Bereavement care for ethnic minority communities: A systematic review of access to, models of, outcomes from, and satisfaction with, service provision.

OBJECTIVES: To review and synthesize the existing evidence on bereavement care, within the United Kingdom (UK), for ethnic minority communities in terms of barriers and facilitators to access; models of care; outcomes from, and satisfaction with, service provision. DESIGN: A systematic review adopting a framework synthesis approach was conducted. An electronic search of the literature was undertaken in MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstract and CINAHL via EBSCO, Global Health, Cochrane library, the Trip database and ProQuest between 1995 and 2020. Search terms included bereavement care, ethnic minority populations and the UK setting. RESULTS: From 3,185 initial records, following screening for eligibility, and full-text review of 164 articles, seven studies were identified. There was no research literature outlining the role of family, friends and existing networks; and a real absence of evidence about outcomes and levels of satisfaction for those from an ethnic minority background who receive bereavement care. From the limited literature, the overarching theme for barriers to bereavement care was 'unfamiliarity and irregularities'. Four identified subthemes were 'lack of awareness'; 'variability in support'; 'type and format of support'; and 'culturally specific beliefs'. The overarching theme for facilitators for bereavement care was 'accessibility' with the two subthemes being 'readily available information' and 'inclusive approaches'. Three studies reported on examples of different models of care provision. CONCLUSIONS: This review reveals a stark lack of evidence about bereavement care for ethnic minority populations. In particular, understanding more about the role of family, friends and existing support systems, alongside outcomes and satisfaction will begin to develop the evidence base underpinning current provision. Direct user-representation through proactive engagement and co-design approaches may begin to determine the most appropriate models and format of bereavement care for ethnic minority communities to inform service design and delivery.

Patient and Hospital Factors Associated With Differences in Mortality Rates Among Black and White US Medicare Beneficiaries Hospitalized With COVID-19 Infection.

Importance: Black patients hospitalized with COVID-19 may have worse outcomes than White patients because of excess individual risk or because Black patients are disproportionately cared for in hospitals with worse outcomes for all. Objectives: To examine differences in COVID-19 hospital mortality rates between Black and White patients and to assess whether the mortality rates reflect differences in patient characteristics by race or by the hospitals to which Black and White patients are admitted. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study assessed Medicare beneficiaries admitted with a diagnosis of COVID-19 to 1188 US hospitals from January 1, 2020, through September 21, 2020. Exposure: Hospital admission for a diagnosis of COVID-19. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary composite outcome was inpatient death or discharge to hospice within 30 days of admission. We estimated the association of patient-level characteristics (including age, sex, zip code-level income, comorbidities, admission from a nursing facility, and days since January 1, 2020) with differences in mortality or discharge to hospice among Black and White patients. To examine the association with the hospital itself, we adjusted for the specific hospitals to which patients were admitted. We used simulation modeling to estimate the mortality among Black patients had they instead been admitted to the hospitals where White patients were admitted. Results: Of the 44 217 Medicare beneficiaries included in the study, 24 281 (55%) were women; mean (SD) age was 76.3 (10.5) years; 33 459 participants (76%) were White, and 10 758 (24%) were Black. Overall, 2634 (8%) White patients and 1100 (10%) Black patients died as inpatients, and 1670 (5%) White patients and 350 (3%) Black patients were discharged to hospice within 30 days of hospitalization, for a total mortality-equivalent rate of 12.86% for White patients and 13.48% for Black patients. Black patients had similar odds of dying or being discharged to hospice (odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% CI, 0.99-1.12) in an unadjusted comparison with White patients. After adjustment for clinical and sociodemographic patient characteristics, Black patients were more likely to die or be discharged to hospice (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.03-1.19). This difference became indistinguishable when adjustment was made for the hospitals where care was delivered (odds ratio, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.94-1.10). In simulations, if Black patients in this sample were instead admitted to the same hospitals as White patients in the same distribution, their rate of mortality or discharge to hospice would decline from the observed rate of 13.48% to the simulated rate of 12.23% (95% CI for difference, 1.20%-1.30%). Conclusions and Relevance: This cohort study found that Black patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had higher rates of hospital mortality or discharge to hospice than White patients after adjustment for the personal characteristics of those patients. However, those differences were explained by differences in the hospitals to which Black and White patients were admitted.

Symptom trajectories of non-cancer patients in the last six months of life: Identifying needs in a population-based home care cohort.

INTRODUCTION: The end-of-life symptom prevalence of non-cancer patients have been described mostly in hospital and institutional settings. This study aims to describe the average symptom trajectories among non-cancer patients who are community-dwelling and used home care services at the end of life. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective, population-based cohort study of non-cancer patients who used home care services in the last 6 months of life in Ontario, Canada, between 2007 and 2014. We linked the Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care (RAI-HC) (standardized home care assessment tool) and the Discharge Abstract Databases (for hospital deaths). Patients were grouped into four non-cancer disease groups: cardiovascular, neurological, respiratory, and renal (not mutually exclusive). Our outcomes were the average prevalence of these outcomes, each week, across the last 6 months of life: uncontrolled moderate-severe pain as per the Pain Scale, presence of shortness of breath, mild-severe cognitive impairment as per the Cognitive Performance Scale, and presence of caregiver distress. We conducted a multivariate logistic regression to identify factors associated with having each outcome respectively, in the last 6 months. RESULTS: A total of 20,773 non-cancer patient were included in our study, which were analyzed by disease groups: cardiovascular (n = 12,923); neurological (n = 6,935); respiratory (n = 6,357); and renal (n = 3,062). Roughly 80% of patients were > 75 years and half were female. In the last 6 months of life, moderate to severe pain was frequent in the cardiovascular (57.2%), neurological (42.7%), renal (61.0%) and respiratory (58.3%) patients. Patients with renal disease had significantly higher odds for reporting uncontrolled moderate to severe pain (odds ratio [OR] = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.34) than those who did not. Patients with respiratory disease reported significantly higher odds for shortness of breath (5.37; 95% CI, 5.00 to 5.80) versus those who did not. Patients with neurological disease compared to those without were 9.65 times more likely to experience impaired cognitive performance and had 56% higher odds of caregiver distress (OR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.43 to 1.71). DISCUSSION: In our cohort of non-cancer patients dying in the community, pain, shortness of breath, impaired cognitive function and caregiver distress are important symptoms to manage near the end of life even in non-institutional settings.

Continuity of care and receipt of aggressive end of life care among women dying of ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between post-diagnosis continuity of care and receipt of aggressive end of life care among women dying of ovarian cancer. METHODS: This retrospective claims analysis included 6680 Medicare beneficiaries over age 66 with ovarian cancer who survived at least one year after diagnosis, had at least 4 outpatient evaluation and management visits and died between 2000 and 2016. We calculated the Bice-Boxerman Continuity of Care Index (COC) for each woman, and split COC into tertiles (high, medium, low). We compared late or no hospice use, >1 emergency department (ED) visit, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, >1 hospitalization, terminal hospitalization, chemotherapy, and invasive and/or life extending procedures among women with high or medium vs. low COC using multivariable adjusted logistic regression. RESULTS: In this sample, 49.8% of women received aggressive care in the last month of life. Compared to women with low COC, women with high COC had 66% higher odds of chemotherapy (adjusted OR 1.66 CI 1.23-2.24) in the last two weeks of life. Women with high COC also had 16% greater odds of not enrolling in hospice compared to women with low COC (adjusted OR 1.16 CI 1.01-1.33). COC was not associated with late enrollment in hospice, hospital utilization, or aggressive procedures. CONCLUSIONS: COC at the end of life is complicated and may pose unique challenges in providing quality end of life care. Future work exploring the specific facets of continuity associated with quality end of life care is needed.

Delivering Hospice Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Meeting Nursing Home Residents' Needs.

This discussion article highlights the challenges of providing hospice care in nursing homes since the start of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic and illuminates practice changes needed in nursing homes. The article provides an overview of the expectations of hospice care, explains the differences in delivering hospice care during the COVID-19 pandemic, examines social isolation and emotional loneliness and the role of familial caregivers, and describes policy changes related to the COVID-19 affecting hospice care delivery in nursing homes. This article answers the following questions: (1) How did residents receiving hospice care have their needs met during the COVID-19 pandemic? (2) What areas of nursing home care need to be improved through governmental policy and restructuring? This article also summarized the lessons learned as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and provided practical implications for nursing, specific to changes in hospice care deliveries for nursing home residents.

Trends in antipsychotic prescribing among long-term care residents receiving hospice care.

IMPORTANCE: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes ("CMS National Partnership") focuses on reducing antipsychotic prescribing to long-term care residents. Hospice enrollment is not an exclusionary condition for the antipsychotic quality measure reported by CMS. It is unclear how prescribing in hospice may have been impacted by the initiative. OBJECTIVE: Estimate the association of the CMS National Partnership with trends in antipsychotic prescribing among long-term care residents in hospice. DESIGN: Interrupted time-series analysis of a 100% Minimum Data Set sample with linked hospice claims from 2011 to 2017. SETTING: Long-term care nursing facilities. PARTICIPANTS: Older adults ≥65 residing in long-term care (n = 3,741,379) and limited to those enrolled in hospice (n = 821,610). MAIN OUTCOME: Quarterly prevalence of antipsychotic and other psychotropic (antianxiety, hypnotic, antidepressant) use among long-term care residents; overall and among residents with dementia, stratified by hospice enrollment. RESULTS: From 2011 to 2017, parallel declines in antipsychotic prescribing were observed among long-term care residents enrolled and not enrolled in hospice (hospice: decline from 26.8% to 18.7%; non-hospice: decline from 23.0% to 14.4%). Following the 2012 CMS National Partnership, quarterly rates of antipsychotic prescribing declined significantly for both residents enrolled and not enrolled in hospice care. Declines in antipsychotic prescribing were greater for residents with dementia, with similar rates among residents enrolled and not enrolled in hospice. Among residents with dementia enrolled in hospice, use of other psychotropic medication classes including antianxiety, antidepressant, and hypnotic use remained relatively stable over time. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Declines in antipsychotic prescribing during the CMS National Partnership occurred among long-term care residents in hospice, where use may be deemed clinically appropriate. Nursing homes are an important location for the provision of dementia end-of-life care and the drivers of potentially unintended reductions in antipsychotic use merits further investigation.

Lugar de fallecimiento de pacientes con procesos paliativos: ¿podemos invertir la tendencia de fallecer en el hospital? / Place of death of patients receiving palliative care: can we reverse the trend of dying in hospitals?

No disponible

Estudio preliminar del proceso fin de vida mediante triangulación de datos en un hospital comarcal / Preliminary study of the end-of-life process through data triangulation in a regional Hospital

OBJETIVO: Conocer las características del proceso de final de vida en un Hospital Comarcal, según los actores implicados, estableciendo los elementos de convergencia/divergencia en el proceso asistencial, toma de decisiones, información y conocimientos. MÉTODO: Estudio observacional, transversal, descriptivo, convergente y analítico de métodos mixtos y triangulación de datos. Se realizó sobre una muestra de 63 sujetos, de los que 25 fueron profesionales, 19 familiares cuidadores y 19 historias clínicas de pacientes fallecidos a lo largo de un año. RESULTADOS: La triangulación de datos muestra discrepancias entre familiares y profesionales de salud en cuanto a la calidad de la asistencia y la información facilitada. Destaca la falta de registro en las historias clínicas revisadas sobre aspectos del proceso asistencial relacionados con la toma de decisiones o la sedación terminal. CONCLUSIÓN: Este estudio proporciona una visión integrada sobre la atención sanitaria en el proceso de final de vida prestada en un Hospital Comarcal. Muestra áreas prioritarias de intervención, para mejorar la calidad de vida en este proceso, como son la implicación del paciente en la toma de decisiones, la cumplimentación adecuada en las historias clínicas y la formación de los profesionales

OBJECTIVE: To know the characteristics of the end-of-life process in a Regional Hospital, according to the actors involved, establishing convergence/divergence elements in care process, decision-making, information and knowledge. METHOD: Observational, cross-sectional, descriptive, convergent of mixed methods and data triangulation study. Carried out on a sample of 63 subjects, of which 25 were health professionals, 19 family caregivers and 19 medical records of patients who died in the course of a year. RESULTS: Data triangulation shows discrepancies between family members and health professionals regarding care quality and the information provided. The lack of documentation in medical records of care aspects related to decision-making or terminal sedation stands out. CONCLUSION: This study provides an integrated view of end-of-life care provided in a Regional Hospital, identifying priority areas of intervention in order to improve quality of life in this process, such as patient involvement in decision-making, appropriate completion of medical records and health professional training

Place and Underlying Cause of Death During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Cohort Study of 3.5 Million Deaths in England and Wales, 2014 to 2020.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the place and cause of death during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to assess its impact on excess mortality. METHODS: This national death registry included all adult (aged ≥18 years) deaths in England and Wales between January 1, 2014, and June 30, 2020. Daily deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic were compared against the expected daily deaths, estimated with use of the Farrington surveillance algorithm for daily historical data between 2014 and 2020 by place and cause of death. RESULTS: Between March 2 and June 30, 2020, there was an excess mortality of 57,860 (a proportional increase of 35%) compared with the expected deaths, of which 50,603 (87%) were COVID-19 related. At home, only 14% (2267) of the 16,190 excess deaths were related to COVID-19, with 5963 deaths due to cancer and 2485 deaths due to cardiac disease, few of which involved COVID-19. In care homes or hospices, 61% (15,623) of the 25,611 excess deaths were related to COVID-19, 5539 of which were due to respiratory disease, and most of these (4315 deaths) involved COVID-19. In the hospital, there were 16,174 fewer deaths than expected that did not involve COVID-19, with 4088 fewer deaths due to cancer and 1398 fewer deaths due to cardiac disease than expected. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a large excess of deaths in care homes that were poorly characterized and likely to be the result of undiagnosed COVID-19. There was a smaller but important and ongoing excess in deaths at home, particularly from cancer and cardiac disease, suggesting public avoidance of hospital care for non-COVID-19 conditions.

Survival in hospice patients with dementia: the effect of home hospice and nurse visits.

BACKGROUND: Hospice patients with dementia are at increased risk for live discharge and long lengths of stay (>180 days), causing patient and family caregiver stress and burden. The location and timing of clinician visits are important factors influencing whether someone dies as expected, in hospice, or experiences a live discharge or long length of stay. OBJECTIVE: Examine how home hospice and nurse visit frequency relate to dying in hospice within the Medicare-intended 6-month period. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Non-profit hospice agency. PARTICIPANTS: Three thousand eight hundred and thirty seven patients with dementia who received hospice services from 2013 to 2017. METHODS: Multivariable survival analyses examined the effects of receiving home hospice (vs. nursing home) and timing of nurse visits on death within 6 months of hospice enrollment, compared to live discharge or long length of stay. Models adjust for relevant demographic and clinical factors. RESULTS: Thirty-nine percent (39%) of patients experienced live discharge or long length of stay. Home hospice patients were more likely to experience live discharge or long length of stays (HR for death: 0.77, 95%CI: 0.69-0.86, p < 0.001). Frequency of nurse visits was inversely associated with live discharge and long lengths of stay (HR for death: 2.87, 95%CI: 2.47-3.33, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Nearly 40% of patients with dementia in our study experienced live discharge or a long length of stay. Additional research is needed to understand why home hospice may result in live discharge or a long length of stay for patients with dementia. Nurse visits were associated with death, suggesting their responsiveness to deteriorating patient health. Hospice guidelines may need to permit longer stays so community-dwelling patients with dementia, a growing segment of hospice patients, can remain continuously enrolled in hospice and avoid burden and costs associated with live discharge.

Implementation of Specialist Palliative Care and Outcomes for Hospitalized Patients with Dementia.

BACKGROUND: In patients with serious illness, use of specialist palliative care may result in improved quality of life, patient and caregiver satisfaction and advance care planning, as well as lower health care utilization. However, evidence of efficacy is limited for patients with dementia, particularly in the setting of an acute hospitalization. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether implementation of hospital-based specialist palliative care was associated with differences in treatment intensity outcomes for hospitalized patients with dementia. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Fifty-one hospitals in New York State that either did or did not implement a palliative care program between 2008 and 2014. Hospitals that consistently had a palliative care program during the study period were excluded. PARTICIPANTS: Hospitalized patients with dementia. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome of this study was discharge to hospice from an acute hospitalization. Secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay, use of mechanical ventilation and dialysis, and days in intensive care. Difference-in-difference analyses were performed using multilevel regression to assess the association between implementing a palliative care program and outcomes, while adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics and time trends. RESULTS: During the study period, 82,118 patients with dementia (mean (SD) age, 83.04 (10.04), 51,170 (62.21%) female) underwent an acute hospitalization, of which 41,227 (50.27%) received care in hospitals that implemented a palliative care program. In comparison to patients who received care in hospitals without palliative care, patients with dementia who received care in hospitals after the implementation of palliative care were more 35% likely to be discharged to hospice (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.35 (1.19-1.51), P < .001). No meaningful differences in secondary outcomes were observed. CONCLUSION: Implementation of a specialist palliative care program was associated with an increase in discharge to hospice following acute hospitalization in patients with dementia.

End-of-Life Practice Patterns in Head and Neck Cancer.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: Despite the importance of symptom management and end-of-life (EOL) care in head and neck cancers (HNC), there is little literature on care practices in this population. This study examines EOL care practice patterns using nationally established metrics. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: Review of HNC patients who were actively followed and treated (defined as one clinic note within 90 days, two within preceding 9 months, and having received treatment at our institution) and died between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018. The cohort was reviewed for performance on Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) and other metrics. RESULTS: Of 133 patients identified, 52 met inclusion criteria. The average age at death was 69.8 years. About 59% had distant metastases, 30% had locoregional disease, 11% were undergoing primary treatment. Twenty-three percentage received chemotherapy within the last 14 days of life. Fifty percentage of patients were admitted in the last 30 days of life, and 33% died in the hospital. Fifty-four percentage of patients had either Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment or Advanced Directive on file. Eighty-one percentage of patients had any type of goals of care discussion documented. Sixty-five percentage of all patients received referrals to palliative care and 46% of all patients enrolled in hospice. The median days in hospice was 12. Having a goals of care discussion was significantly associated with utilization of palliative and hospice care. CONCLUSIONS: Provider-documented goals of care discussions were strongly correlated to referrals and enrollment in palliative and hospice care. Areas for improvement include better documentation of treatment directives and reducing low-utility treatments. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 131:1769-1773, 2021.

COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on U.S. Hospice Agencies: A National Survey of Hospice Nurses and Physicians.

BACKGROUND: Hospice agencies face unique challenges during times of widespread public health emergencies. The pandemic of novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 is widely affecting global healthcare systems. AIM: This study assesses effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on U.S. hospice agencies, staff, and patients as reported by hospice agency staff. DESIGN: An anonymous electronic survey was developed. Free-text comments were assessed for impacts on hospice agencies, staff, and patients and their families. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: The target audience was members of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association who self-identified as being active with hospice agencies in the United States. RESULTS: Reported impacts include inadequate supplies of personal protective equipment, changes in hospice services, and decreased access by hospice personnel to patients in long term care facilities. Flow of patients through hospice care settings was impeded. Agencies experienced changes in workforce availability and increased emotional support needs of staff. Patient and families experienced increased bereavement needs. Nearly one-third of respondents reported negative effects on patient outcomes, such as inadequate symptom management and negative psychosocial effects. CONCLUSION: Respondents indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic had negative effects on both hospice patient care and hospice agency functioning. Hospice agencies appear to face challenges unique among U.S. healthcare agencies due to their service delivery model and focus on interdisciplinary care. There is need for further exploration of the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has on hospice agencies in order to improve care for their patient population during public health emergencies.

Place of Death for Persons With and Without Cognitive Impairment in the United States.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: There is increasing recognition that place of death is an important component of quality of end-of-life care (EOLC) and quality of death. This study examined where older persons with and without cognitive impairment die in the United States, what factors contribute to place of death, and whether place of death influences satisfaction with EOLC. DESIGN: Cross-sectional secondary data analysis. SETTING: In-person interviews with community-dwelling proxy respondents. PARTICIPANTS: Data were collected from 1,500 proxies for deceased participants in the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a nationally-representative sample of community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older. MEASUREMENTS: Study variables were obtained from the NHATS "last month of life" interview data. Survey weights were applied to all analyses. RESULTS: Persons with cognitive impairment (CI) most often died at home, while cognitively healthy persons (CHP) were equally likely to die at home or in a hospital. Persons with CI who utilized the Medicare Hospice Benefit were 14.5 times more likely to die at home than in a hospital, and 3.4 times more likely to die at home than a nursing home. CHP who use this benefit were over six times more likely to die at home than in a hospital, and more than twice as likely to die at home than a nursing home. Place of death for CHP was also associated with age and race. Proxies of persons with CI who died at home rated EOLC as more favorable, while proxies of CHP rated in-home and hospital care equally. CONCLUSION: Findings add to the scant literature identifying factors associated with place of death for older adults with and without CI and results suggest that place of death is a quality of care indicator for these populations. These findings may inform EOLC planning and policy-making and facilitate greater well-being at end-of-life.

Palliative versus hospice care in patients with cancer: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend an early access to specialised palliative medicine services for patients with cancer, but studies have reported a continued underuse. Palliative care facilities deliver early care, alongside antineoplastic treatments, whereas hospice care structures intervene lately, when cancer-modifying treatments stop. AIM: This review identified factors associated with early and late interventions of specialised services, by considering the type of structures studied (palliative vs hospice care). DESIGN: We performed a systematic review, prospectively registered on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42018110063). DATA SOURCES: We searched Medline and Scopus databases for population-based studies. Two independent reviewers extracted the data and assessed the study quality using Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklists. RESULTS: The 51 included articles performed 67 analyses. Most were based on retrospective cohorts and US populations. The median quality scores were 19/22 for cohorts and 15/16 for cross-sectional studies. Most analyses focused on hospice care (n=37). Older patients, men, people with haematological cancer or treated in small centres had less specialised interventions. Palliative and hospice facilities addressed different populations. Older patients received less palliative care but more hospice care. Patients with high-stage tumours had more palliative care while women and patients with a low comorbidity burden received more hospice care. CONCLUSION: Main disparities concerned older patients, men and people with haematological cancer. We highlighted the challenges of early interventions for older patients and of late deliveries for men and highly comorbid patients. Additional data on non-American populations, outpatients and factors related to quality of life and socioeconomic status are needed.