Palliative Medicine Specialists Research Articles

Clinician engagement strategies to increase palliative care access in a multi-site community oncology practice.

196 Background: Despite nearly 20 years since PC was recognized as a medical subspecialty, and ACS, ASCO and NCCN’s recommendations for early involvement, many oncologists continue to categorize PC synonymously with hospice and therefore refer to palliative medicine specialists very late in the disease trajectory, if at all. Each year, more oncology and PC researchers study and report the life changing impact of early PC for patients living with stage III and IV “advanced cancer” (AC). While mandating PC would have its challenges, creating workflows to encourage providers to change their behavior and attitude regarding PC, while empowering other clinical team members to directly refer, should result in patients and families receiving earlier PC services. Methods: The study included a pre-intervention period (9/1/2023 - 12/31/2023), and an intervention period (1/1/2024 - 4/30/2024). Pre-intervention referral data was collected from OncoEMR, OneAnalytics and Social Work reports. PC referrals were requested for both oncology and hematology patients, regardless of diagnosis date or stage. During the intervention period, 6 strategies were designed to increase PC referrals and were deployed equally in all 8 oncology/hematology offices. Strategies included 1) weekly MD/APP huddles with one of the goals to discuss the palliative care needs of all patients, 2) self-directed referrals from nursing, 3) self-directed referrals from social work, 4) APP referrals for advance care planning, 5) proactive chart reviews by PC APNs and direct PC referral suggestions to MD/APPs for AC patients, and 6) hardwiring timely scheduling of PC referrals. The primary end point is the percent of unique cancer (UC) patients who had a PC referral; the secondary end point is the percent of referred AC patients with early PC referral as defined by referral within 8 weeks of diagnosis. Results: During the pre-intervention period, of the 8,551 UC patients, 154 (1.8%) received PC referrals as compared to 227 (2.8%) of the 8,055 UC patients during the intervention period, yielding a 56% increase in the intervention period. In the pre-intervention period, 24 (14%) of the 177 newly diagnosed AC patients received early PC referrals compared to 32 (21%) of the 153 newly diagnosed AC patients in the intervention period, giving rise to a 50% increase. Conclusions: Strategies to increase PC referrals in a community oncology practice increased overall referrals as well as earlier referrals in newly diagnosed AC patients. As the interventions mature, the total number of PC referrals and a shift toward earlier referrals will likely be seen. Future goals will include assessing patient and family comfort with their treatment plan with PC versus without PC, as well as assessing providers' perceived value of PC over time. With attitude and behavior change, practice culture change is anticipated amid PC becoming the standard of care for all AC patients.

2254 Improving the quality and breadth of advance care planning discussions on gerontology wards in an acute London trust

Abstract Introduction Advance care planning (ACP) offers people the opportunity to plan their future care whilst they have capacity to do so and is supported by national guidance. Decisions regarding future care are more likely to be individualised and holistic when patients and their significant others are involved. This QI project aimed to address this by increasing the frequency of ACP discussions being offered and recorded on gerontology wards in an acute London Trust. Method A multi-professional steering group was established to improve ACP using PDSA methodology. A new ACP toolkit, training programme and electronic flowsheet (within the hospital’s patient record system) were implemented. ACP documentation quality was audited on gerontology wards pre and post implementation (over one to four months respectively). Data was compared using Pearson’s Chi-squared test. Results ACP flowsheets were completed by junior and senior doctors, and clinical nurse specialists in frailty and palliative medicine. The initial audit found disparity between documented topics of ACP conversations, with cardiopulmonary resuscitation recommendations being most discussed. Post implementation, 24 ACP flowsheets were reviewed, showing that more ACP topics were documented where these conversations were had; preferred place of death increased from 24% to 60% (p 0.011); treatment escalation plan increased from 41% to 75% (p 0.014); preferred place of care increased from 59% to 71% (p 0.066). Topics not showing significant improvement in documentation (despite inclusion in the flowsheet) were spiritual needs, information needs and prognostic discussion, broader social needs and what was most important to the patient. Conclusion The implementation of an electronic ACP flowsheet improved documented ACP conversations in some topics, guiding healthcare professionals to deliver care that aligns with peoples’ wishes and preferences. Documented conversations became easier to access, review and audit. Work is still needed to promote ACP conversations being centralised around what matters most to patients.

Palliative medicine specialist and general practitioner interactions: national survey

ObjectivesThe purpose of the study was to investigate the collaboration between primary care and palliative care physicians, which is key to providing comprehensive care, and to identify potential difficulties and...

Implementing a Serious Illness Risk Prediction Model: Impact on Goals of Care Documentation.

Goals of care conversations can promote high value care for patients with serious illness, yet documented discussions infrequently occur in hospital settings. We sought to develop a quality improvement initiative to improve goals of care documentation for hospitalized patients. Implementation occurred at an academic medical center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Intervention included integration of a 90-day mortality prediction model grouping patients into low, intermediate, and high risk; a centralized goals of care note; and automated notifications and targeted palliative consults. We compared documented goals of care discussions by risk score before and after implementation. Of the 12,571 patients hospitalized preimplementation and 10,761 postimplementation, 1% were designated high risk and 11% intermediate risk of mortality. Postimplementation, goals of care documentation increased for high (17.6%-70.8%, P< 0.0001) and intermediate risk patients (9.6%-28.0%, P < 0.0001). For intermediate risk patients, the percentage of goals of care documentation performed by palliative medicine specialists increased from pre- to postimplementation (52.3%-71.2%, P = 0.0002). For high-risk patients, the percentage of goals of care documentation completed by the primary service increased from pre-to postimplementation (36.8%-47.1%, P = 0.5898, with documentation performed by palliative medicine specialists slightly decreasing from pre- to postimplementation (63.2%-52.9%, P = 0.5898). Implementation of a goals of care initiative using a mortality prediction model significantly increased goals of care documentation especially among high-risk patients. Further study to assess strategies to increase goals of care documentation for intermediate risk patients is needed especially by nonspecialty palliative care.

Advocating for Training in End-Of-Life Conversations With Seriously Ill Patients During Residency.

According to section IV.B.1.e of common residency program requirements from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), "[r]esidents must learn to communicate with patients and families to partner with them to assess their care goals, including, when appropriate, end-of-care [EOL] goals". EOL conversations are frequently appropriate for patients suffering from serious, life-threatening diseases (ie, terminal illness) or otherwise chronic health conditions with poor disease trajectories. These conversations are often followed with services and care from palliative medicine or hospice specialists depending on patients' projected prognoses (ie, 6months or less). The focus of this patient-centered care, then, is on relieving patient and caregiver suffering, establishing clear treatment goals, and managing the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual burdens of disease. Although palliative medicine and hospice care have been shown to reduce health care costs and improve the overall care of patients who require these services, recent literature still suggests a gap in training programs being able to provide effective, educational strategies to their trainees regarding the appropriate and competent delivery of EOL conversations. Herein, this commentary will provide a discussion on what EOL is, palliative vs hospice care indications, and address current literature regarding EOL exposure within training programs while offering our personal insight and advocacy on the manner.

Advance Care Planning in the Philippines: A continuing narrative of advocacy

This article discusses the current state of Advance Care Planning (ACP) in the Philippines, where the health system operates within a fragmented environment, with mixed private and public provisions. Despite some attempts to introduce legislation to foster ACP implementation, patient autonomy remains subordinate to family values and physician authority within the Southeast Asian culture. The article also highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the norms of the global healthcare force and pushed Palliative Medicine specialists to take on stronger roles in the battle lines against health-related suffering. The Palliative Care Consultants, advocates along with Philippine Society of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (PSHPM) and Hospice Philippines Inc. have been playing a significant role in promoting and supporting ACP through education and training, advocacy, research and development, networking and collaboration.

Recommendations on the structure, personal, and organization of intensive care units.

Intensive care units (ICU) are central facilities of medical care in hospitals world-wide and pose a significant financial burden on the health care system. To provide guidance and recommendations for the requirements of (infra)structure, personal, and organization of intensive care units. Development of recommendations based on a systematic literature search and a formal consensus process from a group of multidisciplinary and multiprofessional specialists from the German Interdisciplinary Association of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI). The grading of the recommendation follows the report from an American College of Chest Physicians Task Force. The recommendations cover the fields of a 3-staged level of intensive care units, a 3-staged level of care with respect to severity of illness, qualitative and quantitative requirements of physicians and nurses as well as staffing with physiotherapists, pharmacists, psychologists, palliative medicine and other specialists, all adapted to the 3 levels of ICUs. Furthermore, proposals concerning the equipment and the construction of ICUs are supplied. This document provides a detailed framework for organizing and planning the operation and construction/renovation of ICUs.

Perceptions of Australian Palliative Medicine Specialists Toward Acupuncture for Palliative Care.

Background: With increasing multidisciplinary care strategies, palliative medicine practitioner perceptions toward acupuncture integration are significant. Objective: To evaluate acupuncture availability and acceptability in Australian palliative care. Outcomes: (1) Domains of the survey included participant characteristics, (2) workplace availability, (3) personal attitudes, and (4) recommendation likelihood. Design: An online REDCap survey of Australian palliative medicine practitioners was administered. Results: Acupuncture was mostly not available/permitted at workplaces (45.2%) due to cost/funding (57.1%) and limited evidence (57.1%). When available by workplace (24.2%) or affiliated service (4.8%), doctors mostly administered acupuncture (66.7%). Respondents were not up to date with current research (71.4%). Referral likelihood increased with confidence in provider (80.0%), workplace availability (77.1%), and patient prior/current use (77.1%). Patient acupuncture discussions were rare (62.9%) with barriers of effectiveness uncertainty (71.4%) and limited knowledge of availability (57.1%). Conclusion: Despite available integrative services and acceptability by Australian palliative medicine practitioners, utilization is low. Further research into acupuncture effectiveness for palliative symptoms, feasibility, and patient acceptability is required.

Challenges and perspectives of palliative medicine: Awebinar by the Paediatric Virology Study Group.

Palliative medicine focuses on the quality of life of patients with incurable conditions, who require the adequate relief of physical symptoms, adequate information to make decisions and spiritual wellbeing. Generalist palliative care is provided by family members, general practitioners, care home workers, community nurses and social care providers, as well as non-specialist hospital doctors and nurses. Patients with more complex, physical or psycho-social problems require the shared work of specialized doctors in palliative medicine, nurses, social workers and allied professionals. It is estimated that ~40 million patients require palliative care annually, worldwide; of these, 8 out of 10 patients reside in low- or middle-income countries, and only ~14% are able to access this type of care. Palliative medicine was recognised as a distinct medical specialty in the UK in 1987, with its own specialist curriculum and training pathway, which was recently revised in 2022. The main obstacles that palliative medicine had to overcome in order to be accepted as a separate specialization were the following: i) Defining a unique body of knowledge; ii) standardisation of training; and iii) proving that it warranted being a specialty in its own right. Over the past decade, it has been accepted as more than end-of-life care, supporting patients with an incurable illness at much earlier stages. Given the current absence of specialized palliative care in low- or middle-income countries, as well as the aging population across most European countries and the USA, it is estimated that there may be an increasing need and demand for specialists in palliative medicine in the ensuing years. This article is based on a webinar on palliative medicine, which was performed on October 20, 2022 in the context of the '8th Workshop of Paediatric Virology' organized by the Institute of Paediatric Virology based on the island of Euboea (Greece).

Правовий статус надавачів паліативної та хоспісної допомоги

The paper examines the current legal status of palliative and hospice medicine providers. The latest changes in Ukrainian legislation regulating issues in this area are considered. The main advantages and disadvantages of the regulatory framework are identified. The problems of training and training of medical specialists in palliative medicine are analyzed. The influence of the financial factor on the possibility of providing palliative care by medical professionals in accordance with the requirements of current legislation is studied. The problem of functioning of Primary, general and specialized palliative medicine in Ukraine in accordance with the laws regulating it is investigated. The issues of determining the composition and powers of multidisciplinary teams and their responsibilities are analyzed. Recommendations are given for solving these problems. No conflict of interests was declared by the author.

Community specialist palliative care services in New Zealand: a survey of Aotearoa hospices.

Community specialist palliative care (SPC) in Aotearoa New Zealand is provided by independent hospices. Substantial increase in demand for palliative care is projected in the next 20 years. We aimed to describe the current landscape of SPC services across Aotearoa whilst incorporating an equity lens. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was undertaken to describe aspects of hospice service and populations served. Survey links were emailed to clinical, or service leads of hospices identified via Hospice New Zealand Website. All eligible hospices (n=32) completed the online survey. All hospices provided care at home, with 94% (n=30) also providing care for patients in aged residential care facilities. All 32 hospices provided symptom management, family and carer support and bereavement care. Six hospices (19%) did not provide afterhours cover. Fifteen (47%) hospices did not have Māori cultural position and median full time equivalent across all hospices for such position was one day per week. Only nine (28%) hospices provided palliative medicine specialist training. Areas of inconsistency were highlighted including afterhours access and cultural support for Māori. The capacity of the present system to address current and future shortages of palliative medicine specialist is questioned.

Geographic Distribution of Cancer Care Providers in the Philippines.

In the Philippines, a lower middle-income country in Southeast Asia, 6 of 10 Filipinos die without seeing a doctor. To ensure universal access to cancer care, providers must be equitably distributed. Therefore, we evaluated the distribution of oncologists across all 17 regions in the Philippines. We gathered data from the official websites of national medical societies on their members' regional area of practice: Philippine Society of Medical Oncology, Philippine Radiation Oncology Society, Surgical Oncology Society of the Philippines, Society of Gynecologic Oncologists of the Philippines, and Philippine Society of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. We compared this with the regional census to determine the number of board-certified oncologists per 100,000 Filipinos. For a population of almost 110 million, the Philippines has a total of 348 medical oncologists, 164 surgical oncologists, 99 radiation oncologists, 142 gynecologic oncologists, and 35 hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) specialists. This translates to 0.32 medical oncologists, 0.15 surgical oncologists, 0.09 radiation oncologists, 0.13 gynecologic oncologists, and 0.03 HPM specialists for every 100,000 Filipinos. The number of oncologists is highest in the National Capital Region in Luzon and lowest in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. All regions have at least one medical and gynecologic oncologist. Two regions (12%) have no surgical oncologists, five regions (29%) have no radiation oncologists, and eight regions (47%) have no HPM specialists. Efforts are needed to increase the number of oncologists and improve equity in their distribution to ensure universal access to cancer care in the Philippines.

Patient-Centered Communication Training among Radiation Oncology Residents

<h3>Purpose/Objective(s)</h3> Radiation oncologists frequently speak with patients who are terminally ill and may be near the end of their life. In fact, up to 63% of patients who died of cancer receive palliative radiation in their last year of life. Despite this, education and specific training on palliative care including patient-centered communication skills for radiation oncology residents is lacking. The primary objective of this study was to assess radiation oncology resident-identified needs and preparedness in patient-centered serious illness communication to guide the objectives and development of a practice-based skills course. <h3>Materials/Methods</h3> A needs-based assessment was performed among radiation oncology residents at a single academic medical center. A cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews were performed. Data from these metrics were reviewed independently by the authors who then collectively indexed, charted, and analyzed the data. The course was then developed by a multidisciplinary team of specialists in radiation oncology, palliative medicine, and patient communication. The virtual course consisted of didactic teaching, two half-day interactive practice sessions with standardized patient encounters and feedback, and pre- and post-course assessments of measurable communication skills. <h3>Results</h3> 14/14 (100%) responses were available for evaluation. Using a five-point Likert scale, most residents felt only "somewhat prepared" (Likert 3/5) to discuss important topics such as prognosis (93%), reconciling the seriousness of one's illness (71%), and discontinuing life-sustaining treatments (64%). PGY-5 residents generally felt more prepared (Likert 4/5) compared to less experienced residents (Likert 3/5). The interview data supported and expanded on the quantitative data, highlighting both the varied and paucity of communication training prior to residency and the need for radiation oncology specific instruction. When asked how they might improve these skills some residents remarked, "practicing conversations," "observing others," and "learning best practices for these situations." The course development was curated by these results. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Consistent with a national survey of radiation oncology residency program directors, the institution-specific needs assessment study established a convincing need at the residency program level for a practice-based patient-centered communication skills training program for radiation oncology residents. This pre-survey data provided information that was used to guide its objectives, development, and assessment. We hope this future course can serve as an adaptable model that can be instituted among radiation oncology residency programs.

Consensus-Based Guidance on Opioid Management in Individuals With Advanced Cancer-Related Pain and Opioid Misuse or Use Disorder

Opioid misuse and opioid use disorder (OUD) are important comorbidities in people with advanced cancer and cancer-related pain, but there is a lack of consensus on treatment. To develop consensus among palliative care and addiction specialists on the appropriateness of various opioid management strategies in individuals with advanced cancer-related pain and opioid misuse or OUD. For this qualitative study, using ExpertLens, an online platform and methodology for conducting modified Delphi panels, between August and October 2020, we conducted 2 modified Delphi panels to understand the perspectives of palliative and addiction clinicians on 3 common clinical scenarios varying by prognosis (weeks to months vs months to years). Of the 129 invited palliative or addiction medicine specialists, 120 participated in at least 1 round. A total of 84 participated in all 3 rounds. Consensus was investigated for 3 clinical scenarios: (1) a patient with a history of an untreated opioid use disorder, (2) a patient taking more opioid than prescribed, and (3) a patient using nonprescribed benzodiazepines. Participants were mostly women (47 [62%]), White (94 (78 [65%]), and held MD/DO degrees (115 [96%]). For a patient with untreated OUD, regardless of prognosis, it was deemed appropriate to begin treatment with buprenorphine/naloxone and inappropriate to refer to a methadone clinic. Beginning split-dose methadone was deemed appropriate for patients with shorter prognoses and of uncertain appropriateness for those with longer prognoses. Beginning a full opioid agonist was deemed of uncertain appropriateness for those with a short prognosis and inappropriate for those with a longer prognosis. Regardless of prognosis, for a patient with no medical history of OUD taking more opioids than prescribed, it was deemed appropriate to increase monitoring, inappropriate to taper opioids, and of uncertain appropriateness to increase the patient's opioids or transition to buprenorphine/naloxone. For a patient with a urine drug test positive for non-prescribed benzodiazepines, regardless of prognosis, it was deemed appropriate to increase monitoring, inappropriate to taper opioids and prescribe buprenorphine/naloxone. The findings of this qualitative study provide urgently needed consensus-based guidance for clinicians and highlight critical research and policy gaps.

Palliative Care in India: Past, Present, and Future.

Over the last 4 decades, palliative care in India had steady growth and development from the early hospice movement in the 1980s to specialist and subspecialist palliative medicine in the 2020s. In the first decade, sustainable service delivery by capacity building, novel contextual community networking models, education facilitated by international collaboration, efforts towards opioid access, and nationwide networking through the formation of an association kindled the grand beginning of palliative care in India. Over the next 2 decades, palliative care in India evolved and developed as a speciality, disseminated across the nation, found its place in all clinical settings, engaged with specialities and subspecialities, developed its own specialist training program, and focused on indigenous research enabled through its own journal. Furthermore, end-of-life care awareness, training, advocacy, and initiatives towards policy and legislation reaped huge dividends in terms of improving the quality of dying in India. Generalist training through short and intermediate courses enhanced the knowledge and interest of the primary health care providers and non-palliative care specialists and education through international collaboration both in-person and distance learning modes augmented these efforts. In 2019, most elements of palliative care are part of the undergraduate medical curriculum. Policy initiatives by state and central governments and the inclusion of palliative care in the National Health Policy of 2017 offer hope for the future. In the last decade, we think that palliative care has found its footing and is ready to emerge as one of the dominant clinical specialities. Moreover, it is time for it to broaden its horizon, scope, and realm by developing into subspecialist verticals, being ubiquitous in all clinical spaces, focusing on robust evidence-based approach and research grounded in the Indian practice context.

Mid-Career Training to Advance Palliative Care.

The demand for specialist palliative medicine physicians, advanced practice providers, and other team members outstrips supply. Traditional paths to specialty practice will not meet projected need. Therefore, innovation and research are required. One innovation is the training of midcareer professionals; those who have been in practice and want to change to palliative care. Barriers to leaving practice and returning to traditional training are high; not the least of which is the opportunity cost. In this roundtable, experts discuss what they have learned from current research, and point the way to additional needed research.

Generalist versus Specialist Palliative Medicine.

The issue of generalist versus specialist palliative care is on the minds of healthcare leaders everywhere. We are amid changing demographics of physicians. The industrialization of medicine is well underway in the US and around the developing world. Is it important to identify patients who benefit the most from specialist palliative care, given that it is currently a limited resource? Should we step out of standard practice and redesign palliative care using principles of population management? The COVID pandemic rapidly introduced virtual palliative care consults. Is it a better way to promote wide access to specialty palliative care? Looking forward, should we promote ways to advance primary palliative care and reserve specialty palliative care to patients who will benefit most from this level of care? These questions, and others, are considered in this transcribed discussion between leading physicians in the field.

Pulmonary referrals to specialist palliative medicine: a survey

ObjectivesPatients with chronic respiratory disease have significant palliative care needs, but low utilisation of specialist palliative care (SPC) services. Decreased access to SPC results in unmet palliative care needs among...

Palliative Care for the Interstitial Lung Disease Patient a Must and Not Just a Need.

Patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) have many unmet palliative care needs. The majority of patients with chronic ILD have poor access to a specialist in palliative medicine and that is due to several barriers. The mortality for the ILD patient is high and reaches up to 80% if admitted to the ICU with respiratory failure. Palliative care addresses symptoms in diseases where cure is unlikely or impossible. Palliative care consultation also ensures communication among patients, caregivers and providers regarding treatments, prognosis, and end of life planning. Methods: We performed a literature review on palliative care and ILD, accessing articles published since 2002. We found 71 articles related to the topic. We chose 37 that were most relevant and with no redundancy of information to include in this review. Objectives: Summarize the palliative care needs of patients with ILD, discuss the barriers to receiving palliative care, and summarize clinical practice for providing palliative care to this patient population.

Palliative care in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis clinics: A survey of NEALS consortium membership.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition managed with a multidisciplinary approach. Palliative care is important for this approach, but there is a lack of recommendations for the role and involvement of palliative medicine (PM) specialists in multidisciplinary ALS care. This questionnaire-based survey assessed the state of palliative care in selective sites that are a part of Northeast Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Consortium (NEALS). Twenty-seven percent of the sites included palliative care specialists as a part of their ALS clinics and they were introduced to the patients and family by ALS specialists (75.94%) usually at an advanced stage of ALS. Our study when compared with other study results having a similar aim showed that there is a variability in the practice of palliative care specialists in ALS clinics. Having evidence-based guidelines will help in the management of ALS patients more effectively.