Establishment of a Palliative Care Consultation Service (PCCS) in an Acute Hospital Setting

Peter Tom Engel, Tharshika Thavayogarajah, Dennis Görlich and Philipp Lenz
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Peter Tom Engel: Department of Palliative Care, University of Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Tharshika Thavayogarajah: Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Dennis Görlich: Institute of Biostatistics and Clinical Research, University of Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Philipp Lenz: Department of Palliative Care, University of Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-13

Abstract: Background and study aims : Acute health service requires focused palliative care (PC). This study was performed to provide guidance for the establishment of a palliative care consultation service (PCCS). Patients and methods : This study was conceived as a retrospective single-center study for observing, analyzing and evaluating the initial setup of a PCCS from 1 May 2015 to 31 May 2018. Patients from Muenster University Hospital with advanced life-limiting diseases, identified to require PC, were included. Results : PCCS was requested from various departments, for between 20 and 80 patients per month, corresponding to a total of 2359 for the study period. Requests were highest in internal medicine (27.3%), gynecology (18.1%) and radiotherapy (17.6%). Time to referral was significantly shorter in departments with special PCCS ward rounds (6 ± 9 vs. 12 ± 22 days, p < 0.001). The most frequently reported symptoms were fatigue, pain and loss of appetite. Pain was frequently localized in the stomach (20.4%), back (17.1%), or in the head and neck area (14.9%). After the first PCCS consultation, 254 patients (90%) reported sufficient pain relief after 48 h. An introduction/modification of painkiller medication, which was recommended for 142 inpatients, was implemented in 57.0% of cases by the respective departments. Overall, the direct realization of PCCS recommendations reached only 50% on average. Conclusions : Besides an analysis of the ability to address the symptoms of the referred patients by the PCCS, this study highlights the importance of the interaction between PCCS and other departments. It further elucidates the role and possibilities of this service both in regular ward rounds and individual staff contacts.

Keywords: early integration; palliative care; palliative care consultation service (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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