Inpatient care at the end of life: A closer look.

Abstract

43 Background: Goals of care discussions in the inpatient setting often focus on the limitation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and Allow Natural Death (AND) directives; decisions regarding medication administration and further diagnostic studies may be missing from the conversation. De-prescribing at the end of life (EOL) can be emotionally complex for patients and their families, though data is emerging that quality of life may be enhanced by limiting unnecessary medications. Our study assessed care in the last 3 days of life for cancer patients who die in hospital. Methods: Retrospective chart review of all inpatient deaths at a tertiary cancer center between 12/1/2012 and 11/30/2014. The frequency of lab draws, administered medications, and subspecialty consultations during the last 3 days of life were recorded. Results: Of the 1,311 inpatient deaths during the two year study period, 44% had Palliative Medicine consultation. On average, Palliative Medicine was consulted 6.5 days before death, with a median consultation time of 3 days before death. Do not resuscitate (DNR) orders were active for over 80% of patients at the time of death, with an average DNR enacted 4.6 days prior to death (range 0-60 days). Medications most often provided at the end of life were analgesics, fluids, and antibiotics (See Table 1). Consistent with Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) Measures, <1% of patients were treated with chemotherapy in the last 3 days of life. Most patients (85%) had laboratory tests in their final 3 days of life, with a mean of 21 orders per patient. Conclusions: Non-palliative services are often provided to hospitalized patients at the end of life. Careful consideration must be given to the potential benefits and harms of medical interventions at the EOL to improve quality of life for the dying patient. Further research is needed to understand the drivers behind the care provided at EOL to inform educational tools for clinicians. [Table: see text]