Hospital-based specialist palliative care involvement before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: secondary analysis of a regional retrospective decedent cohort study in Ottawa, Canada.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To determine the occurrence and clinicodemographic associations of hospital-based specialist palliative care (SPC) referral before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, timing of completed SPC consultation and comparative prevalence of 'no cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)' orders, and end-of-life medication use, according to SPC involvement.

Design

Cross-sectional secondary analysis of a retrospective cohort study with a pre-pandemic (November 2019 to February 2020) group (Pre-COVID, n=170) and two intra-pandemic (March to August 2020) groups, one without (COVID-ve, n=170) and one with COVID-19 infection (COVID+ve, n=85). In the cohort study, Pre-COVID and COVID-ve group decedents were matched 2:1 on age, sex and care service (internal medicine/intensive care unit

SUBMITTER: Lawlor P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11931962 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature