Emergency Department-Based Palliative Interventions

Emergency Department-Based Palliative Interventions: A Novel Approach to Palliative Care in the Emergency Department - The Journal of Palliative Medicine

• Who: Emergency Department patients with active cancer.
• What: Researchers at Northwestern developed an ED-based palliative care intervention (EPI). They assessed the prevalence of palliative care needs among cancer patients, and looked at the feasibility and reach of the EPI program. ED length of stay and bounce backs were measured.
• Findings: 817 patients with active cancer completed the 5 question SPEED tool. 51% of these patients had at least one unmet palliative care needs. Nearly 40% of patients with unmet palliative care needs received an EPI. EPI did not increase ED length of stay and did not reduce bounce backs.

Reuter Q, Marshall A, Zaidi H, Sista P, Powell ES, McCarthy DM, Dresden SM. Emergency Department-Based Palliative Interventions: A Novel Approach to Palliative Care in the Emergency Department. J Palliat Med. 2019 Jun;22(6):649-655.