Enhanced home palliative care could reduce emergency department visits due to non-organic dyspnea among cancer patients: a retrospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Dyspnea is a common trigger of emergency department visits among terminally ill and cancer patients. Frequent emergency department (ED) visits at the end of life are an indicator of poor-quality care. We examined emergency department visit rates due to dyspnea symptoms among palliative patients under enhanced home palliative care.

Methods

Our home palliative care team is responsible for patient management by palliative care specialists, residents, home care nurses, social workers, and chaplains. We enhanced home palliative care visits from 5 days a week to 7 days a week, corresponding to one to two extra visits per week based on patient needs, to develop team-based medical services and formulate standard operating procedures for dyspnea care.

Results

Our te

SUBMITTER: Hsu HS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7956106 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature