Using Hospital Mortality Data to Inform Creation of an Acute Care Inpatient GIP Hospice Program Led by an Academic Palliative Care Team.

BACKGROUND

Acute Care General Inpatient (GIP) Hospice within hospital systems is becoming more common nationally. Palliative care teams are often involved in programmatic planning.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review of 100 inpatient acute care deaths was conducted to review characteristics of patient deaths in an urban academic hospital.

RESULTS

The majority (79%) of patients died on comfort care, with 61% dying within minutes to hours of decision to transition to comfort care, often associated with terminal extubation, while 39% of patients lived greater than 12 hours with an average time from comfort care to death of 72 hours. Palliative care was consulted on 46% of patients prior to death. Hospice was consulted on 17% of all mortalities.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding patient volumes and demographics is essential for operational planning and to ensure high-quality care can be delivered. Hospital-based GIP programs provide an opportunity to improve end-of-life care for patients that are unable to be discharged.