Development and Implementation of an Inpatient Acute Palliative Care Service

CONTEXT: Although hospice programs are a well-established feature of the American medical system, inpatient palliative care services are a recent development. Therefore limited data about inpatient palliative care services has been published, and no large series has yet been reported. OBJECTIVE: To describe the development and implementation, as well as the characteristics and effectiveness, of a large inpatient acute palliative care service (APCS). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Data on patient demographics, diagnoses, key symptoms, and outcome were collected on each of the 3,712 patients seen from March 1997 to December 2000 by the APCS in a midwestern urban-suburban three-hospital system. Summary statistics were calculated and analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: APCS intervention, most common symptoms, and diagnoses, survival, and discharge destination. RESULTS: Of the 3,712 patients seen by the APCS, 56.9% were transferred to the acute palliative care units (APCU) from elsewhere in the hospital, 16.3% were directly admitted to the APCU, and 26.9% were seen in consultation by the APCS without transfer to the APCU. The most common symptoms were dyspnea (53.9%), weakness (42.5%), and pain (40.8%); 88.7% of patients had one to three symptoms. The most frequent diagnoses were cancer (41.3%), cardiac disease (17.4%), pulmonary disease (14.0%), and stroke (9.4%). Of all patients seen by the APCS, 49.5% survived to discharge, although patients whose primary diagnosis was cancer or dementia had significantly higher discharge rates (64.7% and 59.6% respectively, p < 0.001). Of those discharged, 72.0% went home or to an extended care (ECF) with hospice, 13.8% went to an facility ECF without hospice, and 14.2% went home with other home care services. CONCLUSION: Mount Carmel Health has developed an APCS and APCU integrated into the mainstream of each of its hospitals, providing an opportunity for a more appropriate focus on end-of-life issues for patients with poor prognoses, intense medical needs, and complex family issues.