Five-Year Experience of an Inpatient Palliative Care Unit at an Academic Referral Center.
Myrick C Shinall, Sara F Martin, Jill Nelson and 6 others
PMID 29325441WHAT IT FOUND
Most patients in this palliative care unit were transferred from the ICU.
Pain and symptom management was the top reason for consults. Half died in the unit, while many survivors left with hospice. Nurses managed complex care like ventilators for comfort-focused goals.
Key findings
01Half of the patients transferred to the palliative care unit came from an intensive care unit.
02Assistance with pain and symptom management was the most common reason for palliative care consultation, accounting for 63% of consults.
03Approximately half of all patients in the unit died there, and most survivors were discharged with hospice care.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a single-center study, so the unit's specific staffing and referral patterns may not apply to other hospitals. The study was descriptive and did not test hypotheses or compare outcomes to a control group. Admission criteria were not rigid and relied on provider judgment, which introduces selection bias.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this unit's success is due to a specific clinical intervention. This paper reports descriptive statistics on who was admitted and where they went, not evidence that the palliative care model improved outcomes compared to standard care.