scholarly journals Palliative Care and Advance Care Planning in Pulmonary Hypertension

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles L. Rhee ◽  
Michael Cuttica
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Pulmonary Hypertension ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Progressive Disease ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Advance Care

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive disease with high associated morbidity and mortality despite the development of novel therapies. Palliative care is a multidisciplinary field focused on optimization of quality of life and overall supportive care for patients and their families in the setting of life-limiting illness. Although the benefits of palliative care in oncology are well described, there are few studies regarding the timing and involvement of palliative care in PH patients. In this paper, we describe the importance of longitudinal advance care planning, including suggestions for addressing difficult topics such as end-of-life care, and the role of palliative care providers in helping guide these discussions throughout the course of the illness.

Association Between Advance Directives and Quality of End-of-Life Care (DRAFT)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna S. Zhukovsky
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Advance Directives ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Advance Care

Advance care planning is a complex process whereby an individual reflects on future care options at the end of life after reflecting on his or her values and goals for care. These values, goals, and preferences are then communicated to key stakeholders in the process (i.e., proxy and surrogate decision-makers, family members, and health care providers). It is unclear how well the completion of advance directives and a written outcome of advance care planning affect desired patient outcomes. In this chapter, a critical review is provided of a mortality follow-back survey that evaluates the association of advance directives with quality of end-of-life care from the perspective of bereaved family members. Study strengths and limitations are described, as are directions for future research.

scholarly journals Impact of advance care planning on dying in hospital: Evidence from urgent care records

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0242914
Author(s):  
Martina Orlovic ◽  
Tom Callender ◽  
Julia Riley ◽  
Ara Darzi ◽  
Joanne Droney
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Place Of Death ◽  
Hospital Death ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Advance Care

Place of death is an important outcome of end-of-life care. Many people do not have the opportunity to express their wishes and die in their preferred place of death. Advance care planning (ACP) involves discussion, decisions and documentation about how an individual contemplates their future death. Recording end-of-life preferences gives patients a sense of control over their future. Coordinate My Care (CMC) is London’s largest electronic palliative care register designed to provide effective ACP, with information being shared with urgent care providers. The aim of this study is to explore determinants of dying in hospital. Understanding advance plans and their outcomes can help in understanding the potential effects that implementation of electronic palliative care registers can have on the end-of-life care provided. Retrospective observational cohort analysis included 21,231 individuals aged 18 or older with a Coordinate My Care plan who had died between March 2011 and July 2019 with recorded place of death. Logistic regression was used to explore demographic and end-of-life preference factors associated with hospital deaths. 22% of individuals died in hospital and 73% have achieved preferred place of death. Demographic characteristics and end-of-life preferences have impact on dying in hospital, with the latter having the strongest influence. The likelihood of in-hospital death is substantially higher in patients without documented preferred place of death (OR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.26–1.62, p<0.001), in those who prefer to die in hospital (OR = 2.30, 95% CI 1.60–3.30, p<0.001) and who prefer to be cared in hospital (OR = 2.77, 95% CI 1.94–3.96, p<0.001). “Not for resuscitation” individuals (OR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.37–0.50, p<0.001) and who preferred symptomatic treatment (OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.33–0.40, p<0.001) had a lower likelihood of in-hospital death. Effective advance care planning is necessary for improved end-of-life outcomes and should be included in routine clinical care. Electronic palliative care registers could empower patients by embedding patients’ wishes and personal circumstances in their care plans that are accessible by urgent care providers.

End-of-life care in non-malignant conditions

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-47
Author(s):  
Rachel Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Life Care ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Advance Care

End-of-life care refers to the care of patients with progressive, incurable conditions and considered to be in the last year of life. Approximately 75% of end-of-life patients will die from non-malignant conditions. There are significant challenges, both in the identification of patients with chronic disease who are nearing the end of life and in the provision of high-quality palliative care in this group. This article explores the role of GPs in the management of end-of-life care in the most common non-malignant conditions, including management of symptoms and advance care planning.

IMPROVING END-OF-LIFE CARE AND ADVANCE CARE PLANNING FOR FRAIL OLDER ADULTS IN CANADA

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
J. Downar ◽  
P. Moorhouse ◽  
R. Goldman ◽  
D. Grossman ◽  
S. Sinha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Frail Older Adults ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
Advance Care

We present five Key Concepts that describe priorities for improving end-of-life care for frail older adults in Canada, and recommendations based on each Key Concept. Key Concept #1: Our end-of-life care system is focused on cancer, not frailty. Key Concept #2: We need better strategies to systematically identify frail older adults who would benefit from a palliative approach. Key Concept #3: The majority of palliative and end-of-life care will be, and should be, provided by clinicians who are not palliative care specialists. Key Concept #4: Organizational change and innovative funding models could deliver far better end-of-life care to frail individuals for less than we are currently spending. Key Concept #5: Improving the quality and quantity of advance care planning for frail older adults could reduce unwanted intensive care and costs at the end of life, and improve the experience for individuals and family members alike.

scholarly journals The Effect of Advance Care Planning on Heart Failure: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 874-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Schichtel ◽  
Bee Wee ◽  
Rafael Perera ◽  
Igho Onakpoya
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Advance Care

Abstract Background Advance care planning is widely advocated to improve outcomes in end-of-life care for patients suffering from heart failure. But until now, there has been no systematic evaluation of the impact of advance care planning (ACP) on clinical outcomes. Our aim was to determine the effect of ACP in heart failure through a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods We searched CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Database of Systematic Reviews, Embase, ERIC, Ovid MEDLINE, Science Citation Index and PsycINFO (inception to July 2018). We selected RCTs including adult patients with heart failure treated in a hospital, hospice or community setting. Three reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, assessed the risk of bias (Cochrane risk of bias tool) and evaluated the quality of evidence (GRADE tool) and analysed interventions according to the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR). We calculated standardized mean differences (SMD) in random effects models for pooled effects using the generic inverse variance method. Results Fourteen RCTs including 2924 participants met all of the inclusion criteria. There was a moderate effect in favour of ACP for quality of life (SMD, 0.38; 95% CI [0.09 to 0.68]), patients’ satisfaction with end-of-life care (SMD, 0.39; 95% CI [0.14 to 0.64]) and the quality of end-of-life communication (SMD, 0.29; 95% CI [0.17 to 0.42]) for patients suffering from heart failure. ACP seemed most effective if it was introduced at significant milestones in a patient’s disease trajectory, included family members, involved follow-up appointments and considered ethnic preferences. Several sensitivity analyses confirmed the statistically significant direction of effect. Heterogeneity was mainly due to different study settings, length of follow-up periods and compositions of ACP. Conclusions ACP improved quality of life, patient satisfaction with end-of-life care and the quality of end-of-life communication for patients suffering from heart failure and could be most effective when the right timing, follow-up and involvement of important others was considered.

Outpatient palliative care at a tertiary cancer center: Perceptions, pathways, and pitfalls.

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (34_suppl) ◽  
pp. 28-28
Author(s):  
Kavitha Ramchandran ◽  
Sandy Trieu ◽  
Stephanie Harman ◽  
Judy Passaglia ◽  
Janet Rodriguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Cancer Center ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Code Status ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Advance Care

28 Background: To describe an outpatient palliative care program at a quaternary cancer center- Stanford Cancer Institute. Outpatient palliative care (PC) programs are still in their nascency. Best practices are still being developed and key performance metrics are being delineated. This is a description of Stanford Cancer Institute outpatient PC program. Methods: Observational study of the first six months of encounters to the outpatient PC program. Description of potential barriers to launch and growth, as well as description of resources required for continued success. Data evaluated included program volume, referral patterns, advance care planning, symptom assessment and team structure as collected by the clinical team. Results: Initial barriers to program initiation included lack of funding and infrastructure. Additional barriers included coordination between teams, flow of care (patients late for next appointments), and cultural perceptions of palliative care as equal to end of life care. There are 32 referring practitioners to the program. Over the first six months the outpatient PC program has seen growth with volume increasing from 10 consults per month to 26 consults per month for a total of 60 patients. At the time of initial consult, 11 of the 60 patients seen had an advance directive. Only 1 patient had a physician order for life sustaining treatment (POLST). Code status was documented in 21 of the 60 patients. Conclusions: Our program had multiple barriers to launch: perceptions that palliative care equaled end of life care, lack of infrastructure and funding, and difficulty with coordination between teams. With administrative support the program secured funding, developed infrastructure with the assistance of IT, Cancer Center administration, and Care Coordination. Consults now come from a wide range of providers. Based on preliminary data indicating a very low percentage of completion of these tasks by patients on initial consult there is need for outpatient palliative care for advance care planning. Future growth will include continued penetration of the cancer center, increasing volume of consults, and additional assessments of patient satisfaction, symptom improvement, and hospital utilization.

scholarly journals Advance Care Planning and End-Of-Life Communications: Practical Tips for Oncology Advanced Practitioners

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Poonam Goswami, DNP, FNP-C, AOCNP
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Aggressive Treatment ◽  
Advanced Practitioner ◽  
Advance Care ◽  
Patients Wishes

Advance care planning discussions ensure patients’ values and goals of care, including the freedom to choose their place of death, are respected. The benefits of advance care planning and early end-of-life care discussions are often delayed, as these discussions are not initiated early in patients’ cancer trajectories. As a result, patients’ wishes often remain unknown until the last phase of their life. Evidence suggests that many patients inappropriately receive aggressive treatment near the end of life, which leads to higher resource utilization, decreased quality of life, and increased cost. The purpose of this article is to provide practical tips to the oncology advanced practitioner on initiating advance care planning and end-of-life care discussions with patients and their families or caregivers.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document