Integration of palliative care services into standard oncology practice at diagnosis of metastatic lung cancer at VA New York Harbor Healthcare System.

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (29_suppl) ◽  
pp. 165-165
Author(s):  
Felix Manuel Rivera Mercado ◽  
Carol Luhrs ◽  
Alice Beal ◽  
Maura Langdon ◽  
Joan Secrest ◽  
...  

165 Background: The 2012 ASCO provisional clinical opinion addressed the integration of palliative care into standard oncology practice at the time a person is diagnosed with metastatic or advanced cancer. The inclusion of Palliative Care among the National Quality Forum (NQF) framework represented a major advance in palliative care. NQF metrics include chemotherapy administered in the last 14 days of life, hospice less than 3 days before death, ICU or hospital admission, more than one Emergency Room visit in the last 30 days, and death in hospital. Although the use of hospice and other palliative care services has increased, many are enrolled in hospice less than 3 weeks before death. By improving quality of life, cost, and survival in patients with metastatic cancer, palliative care has increasing relevance for the care of patients with cancer. Methods: Retrospective chart review study of lung cancer patients diagnosed at VA from 2010-2013. Inclusion criteria: > 18 years of age with new diagnosis of metastatic lung cancer. Exclusion criteria: < 18 years of age, Stage I-III lung cancer. Results: Total of 125 patients were diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. The mean time from diagnosis to death was only 185 days (6.1 months). The VA NYHHS patients were more likely to visit the ED, be admitted to the hospital and ICU in the last 30 days of life, and subsequently die in the hospital. Conclusions: Several confounders were identified, including climate related closure of facilities (2012 Sandy storm), lack of social support, low ICU admission criteria, burial benefits for patients dying in a VA, and delay in transition to Hospice. Currently 392 patients with stage IV solid tumors diagnosed 2010-2014 are being studied. [Table: see text]

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 1702405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Scheerens ◽  
Kim Beernaert ◽  
Peter Pype ◽  
Joachim Cohen ◽  
Luc Deliens ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (31_suppl) ◽  
pp. 126-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Ruth Bauman ◽  
Zofia Piotrowska ◽  
Emily Scribner ◽  
Brandon Temel ◽  
Rebecca Suk Heist ◽  
...  

126 Background: Metastatic lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the US. In the last decade, however, patients (pts) with EGFR mutations have benefitted from improved outcomes with EGFR-directed targeted therapy. We hypothesized that this improvement might impact EOL care. The objective of this chart review was to describe the care of EGFR mutant pts with attention to EOL care, health care utilization, and palliative care use. Methods: With IRB approval, we retrospectively reviewed medical records of pts at our center diagnosed with advanced EGFR-mutant lung cancer from January 2009 to June 2012. We limited the review to pts who had at least one cancer therapy at MGH, and to those who died by June 2014. Results: 44 pts were included. 30 pts (68%) were female. 32 pts (73%) received cancer-directed therapy within 30 days of death. Of these, 30 pts (68%) received oral chemotherapy and 5 (11%) received IV chemotherapy. 30 pts (68%) were hospitalized within 30 days of death. Over their entire disease course, the median number of hospitalizations was 2 (0-8), and the median number of total inpatient days was 12 (0-88). 21 pts (48%) had a palliative care outpatient visit and 34 (77%) had an inpatient palliative care consult at some point during their care. 24 pts (54%) enrolled on hospice prior to death, 15 (34%) were never on hospice, and the hospice status of 5 (11%) was unknown. Of the 39 pts with known hospice status, median length of stay was 6 days (0-206). 23 pts (52%) died at home with hospice or in an inpatient hospice, 16 (36%) died in the hospital, 2 (4%) died at home without hospice, and the location of death was unknown for 3 (7%). Conclusions: Pts with EGFR mutations had high rates of hospitalization and chemotherapy use in the last month of life, and many died in the hospital. Palliative care utilization was high, but it is unclear how this affected EOL care. Designing innovative care models to support this unique population and understand EOL decision-making should be a priority.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-57
Author(s):  
Vasilisa Yurievna Rain ◽  
◽  
Maxim Anatolievich Egorkin ◽  
Anastasia Viktorovna Motornaya

Herein we describe a patient’s history of a 45 y.o. man presenting with swollen lymphnodes who was subsequently diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Primary verifi cation was obtained via cytological evaluation of the lymph nodes of concern. Further clinical and additional diagnostics are described and accompanied with CT and MRI scans. Unfortunately, the patient died in 3 months after diagnosis despite attempts of chemotherapy which emphasizes the importance of timely medical counseling.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (34_suppl) ◽  
pp. 70-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey B. Smerage ◽  
Katie Abstoss ◽  
Jane Severson ◽  
J. Cameron Muir ◽  
Claudia Jane Martin ◽  
...  

70 Background: Michigan oncology practice groups that participated in MOQC [JOP 5(6):281, 2009] used the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) tool. Adherence to processes of disease specific care was high, but poor in domains associated with palliative care. These measures did not change over time [Health Affairs. 31(4):718, 2012]. These findings prompted us to test interventions to improve quality in palliative care domains. Methods: MOQC created a process, based on the IHI Framework for Spread, to assist oncology practice groups in establishing their own primary Palliative Care services, including the implementation of Edmonton Symptom Management Scale. 8 practice groups formed teams of local change agents to participate in the Palliative Care Demonstration (PC Demo) project. The teams participated in 3 in-person and 4 online learning sessions over 8 months, led by palliative care and quality experts. Teams were provided tools, training materials, and necessary support to implement the improvements and measure their success. The learning network facilitated the sharing of best practices and lessons learned throughout the process. The teams presented their results broadly to other MOQC participants at project conclusion. Results: Success was measured using palliative care-focused ASCO QOPI results. PC Demo sites consecutively improved their scores in many of the QOPI measures, and their rate of improvement from Fall 2011 to Spring 2012 was greater than that of their peers. Conclusions: We observed that collecting and distributing data in our consortium was insufficient to improve palliative oncology care. Providing practice groups with the appropriate infrastructure improved their capacity and capability to make the necessary changes to improve performance. [Table: see text]


2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (31_suppl) ◽  
pp. 53-53
Author(s):  
Katie Abstoss ◽  
Tallat Mahmood ◽  
Claudia Jane Martin ◽  
J. Cameron Muir ◽  
Jane Alcyne Severson ◽  
...  

53 Background: The Michigan Oncology Quality Consortium (MOQC) is a statewide collaborative of oncology practices. Using the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) measurement tool, MOQC identified a gap in the provision of palliative care. We designed and tested interventions to enhance the capacity and capabilities of the oncologist to deliver primary palliative care earlier in a patient’s course. Methods: MOQC created a process to assist oncology care teams in providing primary palliative care services using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale tool. 11 practices participated in two pilots over 18 months. During and after these pilots, we disseminated tools for improvement, including customized palliative care dashboards, to the entire consortium. Pilot teams also shared their successes, insights, and best practices during semiannual live consortium meetings. Results: Shown are palliative care-focused QOPI results, comparing baseline (Fall 2011, F11) and post project (Spring 2013, S13) for all MOQC practices compared with all participating QOPI practices, using a paired t-test. MOQC sites outperformed the QOPI national average on multiple palliative care measures. Furthermore, the MOQC improvement rate since the project initiation was greater than that of national. Although clinically important, the measures did not reach standard statistical significance. Conclusions: Running successive pilot projects improved primary palliative care performance of the teams involved; additionally, this momentum and gain in knowledge facilitated dissemination of innovation and measurable improvement in all members of a statewide consortium. [Table: see text]


2021 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2020-002835
Author(s):  
Joseph Chen ◽  
Allison de la Rosa ◽  
Dejian Lai ◽  
Rony Dev ◽  
Frances Lee Revere ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo compare cancer centre (CC) executives’ attitudes towards palliative care between National Cancer Institute-designated CCs (NCI-CCs) and non-NCI-designated CCs (non-NCI-CCs) in 2018 and to examine the changes in attitudes and beliefs between 2009 and 2018.MethodsCC chief executives at all NCI-CCs and a random sample of non-NCI-CCs were surveyed from April to August 2018. Twelve questions examined the executives’ attitudes towards palliative care integration, perceived barriers and self-assessments. The primary outcome was agreement on the statement ‘a stronger integration of palliative care services into oncology practice will benefit patients at my institution.’ Survey findings from 2018 were compared with data from 2009 to examine changes in attitudes.Results52 of 77 (68%) NCI-CCs and 88 of 126 (70%) non-NCI-CCs responded to the survey. A vast majority of executives at NCI-CCs and non-NCI-CCs endorsed palliative care integration (89.7% vs 90.0%; p>0.999). NCI-CCs were more likely to endorse increasing funding for palliative care (52.5% vs 23.1%; p=0.01) and hiring physician specialists (70.0% vs 37.5%; p=0.004) than non-NCI-CCs. The top three perceived barriers among NCI-CCs and non-NCI-CCs were limited institutional budgets (57.9% vs 59.0%; p=0.92), poor reimbursements (55.3% vs 43.6%; p=0.31), and lack of adequately trained palliative care physicians and nurses (52.6% vs 43.6%; p=0.43). Both NCI-CCs and non-NCI-CCs favourably rated their palliative care services (89.7% vs 71.8%; p=0.04) with no major changes since 2009.ConclusionCC executives endorse integration of palliative care, with greater willingness to invest in palliative care among NCI-CCs. Resource limitation continues to be a major barrier.


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