Nina R. O'Connor

Conservative Management of End-Stage Renal Disease without Dialysis: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE To summarize evidence on conservative, nondialytic management of end-stage renal disease regarding 1) prognosis and 2) symptom burden and quality of life (QOL). METHODS Medline, Cinahl, and Cochrane were searched for records indexed prior to March 1, 2011. Bibliographies of articles and abstracts from recent meetings were reviewed. Authors and nephrologists were contacted to identify additional studies. Articles were reviewed by two authors and selected if they described stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients managed without dialysis, including one or more of the following outcomes: prognosis, symptoms, or QOL. Levels of evidence ratings were assigned using the SORT (Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy) system. Data was abstracted independently by two authors for descriptive analysis. RESULTS Thirteen studies were included. In studies of prognosis, conservative management resulted in median survival of at least six months (range 6.3 to 23.4 months). Findings are mixed as to whether dialysis prolongs survival in the elderly versus conservative, nondialytic management. Any survival benefit from dialysis decreases with comorbidities, especially ischemic heart disease. Patients managed conservatively report a high symptom burden, underscoring the need for concurrent palliative care. Additional head-to-head studies are needed to compare the symptoms of age-matched dialysis patients, but preliminary studies suggest that QOL is similar. CONCLUSIONS Conservative management is an important alternative to discuss when counseling patients and families about dialysis. Unlike withdrawal of dialysis in which imminent death is expected, patients who decline dialysis initiation can live for months to years with appropriate supportive care.

Hospice Admissions for Cancer in the Final Days of Life: Independent Predictors and Implications for Quality Measures

PURPOSE To define patient characteristics associated with hospice enrollment in the last 3 days of life, and to describe adjusted proportions of patients with late referrals among patient subgroups that could be considered patient-mix adjustment variables for this quality measure. METHODS Electronic health record-based retrospective cohort study of patients with cancer admitted to 12 hospices in the Coalition of Hospices Organized to Investigate Comparative Effectiveness network. RESULTS Of 64,264 patients admitted to hospice with cancer, 10,460 (16.3%) had a length of stay ≤ 3 days. There was significant variation among hospices (range, 11.4% to 24.5%). In multivariable analysis, among patients referred to hospice, patients who were admitted in the last 3 days of life were more likely to have a hematologic malignancy, were more likely to be male and married, and were younger (age < 65 years). Patients with Medicaid or self-insurance were less likely to be admitted to hospice within 3 days of death. CONCLUSION Quality measures of hospice lengths of stay should include patient-mix adjustments for type of cancer and site of care. Patients with hematologic malignancies are at especially increased risk for late admission to hospice.

The Impact of Inpatient Palliative Care Consultations on 30-Day Hospital Readmissions

BACKGROUND Inpatient palliative care consultations have been shown to reduce acute care utilization by reducing length of stay, but less is known about their impact on subsequent costs including hospital readmissions. OBJECTIVE The studys objective was to examine the impact of inpatient palliative care consultations on 30-day hospital readmissions to a large urban academic medical center. METHODS The hospitals electronic medical record system was used to identify all live discharges between August 2013 and November 2014. After adjusting for a propensity score, readmission rates were compared between palliative care and usual care groups. RESULTS Of the 34,541 hospitalizations included in the study, 1430 (4.1%) involved a palliative care consult. After adjusting for the propensity score, patients seen by palliative care had a lower 30-day readmission rate-adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.66, 0.55-0.78; p<0.001. Adjusted rates were 10.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.9%-12.0%) for palliative care and 15.0% (95% CI 14.4%-15.4%) for usual care. Among all palliative care patients, consultations that involved goals of care discussions were associated with a lower readmission rate (AOR 0.36, 0.27-0.48; p<0.001), but consultations involving symptom management were not (AOR 1.05, 0.82-1.35; p=0.684). CONCLUSIONS Palliative care palliative care consultations facilitate goals discussions, which in turn are associated with reduced rates of 30-day readmissions.

Toward Safer Transitions: A Curriculum to Teach and Assess Hospital-to-Hospice Handoffs

CONTEXT Patient handoffs are an increasingly emphasized skill in medical and nursing education, and handoff education is required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Traditional handoff tools lack content that is unique to hospice and palliative medicine. OBJECTIVES The objective of the study was to develop a comprehensive curriculum to teach and assess patient handoffs in hospice and palliative medicine fellowships. METHODS Eight hospice physicians, nurse practitioners, and nurses were interviewed to determine core content for a hospital-to-hospice handoff. This content was used to create a verbal handoff template and direct observation assessment tool, which were reviewed by the same hospice providers for content validity. The handoff template was taught to two groups of palliative medicine fellows and one group of internal medicine residents using an interactive didactic and role play, and feedback was obtained to further refine the curriculum. RESULTS After refinement, the complete handoff curriculum (verbal handoff template, didactic with role play, assessment by faculty using direct observation tool) was successfully integrated into a hospice and palliative medicine fellowship, satisfying Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requirements related to transitions in care. CONCLUSION The hospital-to-hospice handoff is a unique opportunity to teach patient safety in a palliative medicine context.