Local Area Hospice Capacity and Rural Disparities in Hospice Use among Older Adults with Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Background: Little is known about how local area hospice capacity and staffing levels impact hospice use in urban versus rural areas. Objectives: To examine the association between local hospice capacity and staffing levels and hospice use in the context of rural disparities in hospice use, among a sample of patients with metastatic breast cancer. Design: A retrospective cohort study using Surveillance Epidemiology End-Results (SEER)-Medicare linked data 2000-2010, Medicare Provider of Service files, and Census 2000 U.S. Zip Code Tabulation Areas files. Setting: Use of Medicare-certified hospice programs among older adults with metastatic breast cancer residing in one of the SEER program cancer registries designated by National Cancer Institute in the United States. Measurements: Measurements of geographic access to hospices include urban/rural characteristics of patient residence and driving time from the nearest Medicare-certified hospice headquarter. Measurements of local-area hospice capacity and staffing levels include per capita number of Medicare-certified hospice programs and full-time employees among older adults within a predefined radius. Results: Among the study population (N = 5418), remote and suburban areas were negatively associated with hospice use. Lower hospice use in remote and suburban areas was associated with fewer per capita number of Medicare-certified hospice program employees in local areas ≥70-minute driving radius (p = 0.0042), while per capita number of Medicare-certified hospice programs in local areas showed no impact. Conclusion: For older patients with metastatic breast cancer, availability of hospice staff, rather than driving distance or the number of hospice agencies, may limit hospice use in remote and suburban areas.

The Influence of Age on Central Effects of Methylnaltrexone in Patients with Opioid-Induced Constipation.

BACKGROUND: Methylnaltrexone, a peripherally acting µ-opioid receptor antagonist approved for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC), has restricted diffusion across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and has not been demonstrated to impact opioid-induced central analgesia. Age-related changes in BBB permeability may compromise methylnaltrexone's restricted diffusion and alter opioid-induced central analgesic effects. OBJECTIVE: This analysis evaluated whether opioid analgesia is compromised in older adults receiving methylnaltrexone for OIC. METHODS: The analysis included adults diagnosed with OIC who received opioids for pain management and who had a terminal illness or chronic nonmalignant pain. Data were pooled from four randomized, double-blind trials and stratified by age (< 65 years and ≥ 65 years). Endpoints included pain intensity scores, symptoms of opioid withdrawal, treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs), and rescue-free laxation (RFL) within 4 h of treatment. RESULTS: Overall, 1323 patients were < 65 years of age (n = 908, methylnaltrexone; n = 415, placebo) and 304 patients were ≥ 65 years of age (n = 171, methylnaltrexone; n = 133, placebo). Nonsignificant pain intensity score reductions were observed in all groups. In the older cohort, measures of opioid withdrawal did not show statistical differences from baseline in either the methylnaltrexone or placebo groups. The most frequently reported TRAEs were abdominal pain, flatulence, and nausea. Relative to the first dose, gastrointestinal TRAEs potentially related to opioid withdrawal declined with the second dose and were comparable with placebo, regardless of age. RFL response within 4 h of methylnaltrexone treatment increased significantly in both age cohorts relative to placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Methylnaltrexone use did not adversely affect pain control, opioid withdrawal effects, or AEs while providing effective RFL, regardless of age. These results suggest that age does not appear to influence the safety and efficacy of methylnaltrexone for OIC. Further research is needed to assess the impact of other factors that alter BBB permeability, such as dementia, stroke, or drug interactions, on the safety and efficacy of methylnaltrexone. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: Study 302, NCT00402038; study 3200K1-4000, NCT00672477; study 3200K1-3356, NCT00529087; study 3201, NCT01186770.

Staffing in California Public Hospital Palliative Care Clinics: A Report from the California Health Care Foundation Palliative Care in Public Hospitals Learning Community.

Background: Although clinic-based palliative care (PC) services have spread in the United States, little is known about how they function, and no studies have examined clinics that predominantly serve safety net populations. Objectives: To describe the PC clinics operating in safety net institutions in California. Design: Survey completed by PC program leaders Setting/Subjects: PC programs in California, USA, safety net medical centers. Measurements: Descriptive statistics regarding staffing, clinic processes, patients served, and finances. Results: Twelve of 15 programs responded; 10 clinics that met inclusion criteria. All 10 programs use multiple disciplines to deliver care. Average full-time equivalent (FTE) used to staff an average of 2.75 half-day clinics per week includes 0.69 physician FTE, 0.51 nurse practitioner FTE, 1.37 nurse FTE, 0.79 social worker FTE, and 0.52 chaplain FTE. Clinic session schedules include an average of 1.88 new patient appointment slots (standard deviation [SD] = 0.44) and four follow-up appointment slots (SD = 1.95). The nine programs that reported on clinic volumes see 1081 patients annually combined, with an annual average of 120 (SD = 48.53) per program. Encounters per patient averaged 3.04 (SD = 1.59; eight programs reporting). All reported offering seven core PC services: pain/symptom management, comprehensive assessment, care coordination, advance care planning, PC plan of care, emotional support, and social service referrals. An average of 77.4% (SD = 26.81) of clinic financing came from the health systems. Conclusions: Our respondents report using an interdisciplinary team approach to deliver guideline-concordant specialty PC. More research is needed to understand the most effective and efficient staffing models for meeting the PC needs of the safety net population.

Intravenous Ketamine Administered as Patient Controlled Analgesia and Continuous Infusion for Central Pain Syndrome.

Treatment of Central Pain Syndrome (CPS) is known to be extremely challenging. Current therapies are unsatisfactory as patients report only mild to moderate pain relief. We report a case of using ketamine as a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for the treatment of CPS. A 58-year-old male with CPS presented with severe generalized body pain refractory to multiple pharmacological interventions. He was started on a basal infusion rate at 0.3 mg/kg/h with a ketamine PCA bolus of 10 mg with a 10-minute lockout period. Over the next 7 days, the basal infusion rate was titrated up to 2.1 mg/kg/h relative to the number of times the patient pressed the PCA. At the end of the trial, the patient reported 0/10 pain with lightheadedness on the first day being the only side effect reported. He was discharged home with his regular pain regimen, with significant decrease in pain over the next few months. Rather than trying to establish a "one size fits all" protocol for ketamine infusions, this case illustrates a shift in pain management focus by allowing patients to self-titrate and demonstrates the potential for using ketamine PCA as a treatment option for CPS.

Palliative Care Competencies and Readiness for Independent Practice: A Report on the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Review of the U.S. Medical Licensing Step Examinations.

CONTEXT: It is unknown whether the palliative care (PC) content tested in the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) step examinations reflects the consensus-developed PC competencies. OBJECTIVES: To review the USMLE step examinations to determine whether they test the PC knowledge necessary for graduating medical students and residents applying for licensure. METHODS: Eight PC physicians reviewed three complete examination forms and a focused 509-item bundle of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) identified by the USMLE content outline as potentially assessing PC content. Reviewers determined MCQs to be PC items if the patient was seriously ill and PC knowledge was required to answer correctly. PC items' competency domains were determined using reference domains from PC subspecialty consensus competencies. RESULTS: Reviewers analyzed 1090 MCQs and identified 242 (22%) as PC items. PC items were identified in each step examination. Patients in PC items were mostly males (62.8%), older than 65 years (62%), and diagnosed with cancer (43.6%). Only 6.6% and 6.2%, respectively, had end-stage heart disease or multimorbid illness. Fifty-one percent of PC items addressed ethics (31%) or communication (19.8%), focusing on patient autonomy, surrogate decision makers, or conflict between decision makers. Pain and symptom management was assessed in 28.5% of PC items, and one-third of those addressed addiction or substance use disorder. CONCLUSION: We identified PC content in each step examination. However, heart disease and multimorbidity were under-represented in PC items relative to their prevalence. In addition, there was heavy overlap with ethics, a focus on conflict in assessing communication skills, and emphasis on addiction when testing pain management. Our findings highlight opportunities to enhance testing of clinical PC skills essential for all licensed physicians practicing medicine.

Refractory Schizophrenia, Attempted Suicide, and Withdrawal of Life Support: A Clinical Ethics Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Withdrawal of life support for an individual with refractory schizophrenia after attempted suicide remains controversial. Discussion regarding prognosis of mental illness and the distinction between somatic and mental illness brings out many ethical issues. This article will examine the role and weight of severe persistent mental illness in the withdrawal of life support after attempted suicide. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 30-year-old gentleman with deafness and schizophrenia was admitted with multiple self-inflicted visceral stab wounds. He developed postoperative complications necessitating ongoing critical care. The parties involved were as follows: the patient, his parents, the critical care trauma service, the palliative and psychiatry consult services, and the ethics committee. Over the patient's hospital course, his parents struggled to reconcile his poor preinjury quality of life with his ongoing need for intensive medical intervention. The primary and consulting teams were required to integrate differing perspectives on the patient's past responsiveness to treatment and the extent to which additional efforts might advance his quality of life and limit his future suffering and suicidality. The patient's surrogate decision makers unanimously requested withdrawal of life support. An ethics committee convened to address the question of whether refractory schizophrenia can produce so poor a quality of life as to merit the withdrawal of life-sustaining measures after a suicide attempt. Consensus was achieved, and life-sustaining measures were subsequently withdrawn, allowing the patient to pass away peacefully in an inpatient hospice facility.

Palliative Care Professional Development for Critical Care Nurses: A Multicenter Program.

BACKGROUND: Integrating palliative care into intensive care units (ICUs) requires involvement of bedside nurses, who report inadequate education in palliative care. OBJECTIVE: To implement and evaluate a palliative care professional development program for ICU bedside nurses. METHODS: From May 2013 to January 2015, palliative care advanced practice nurses and nurse educators in 5 academic medical centers completed a 3-day train-the-trainer program followed by 2 years of mentoring to implement the initiative. The program consisted of 8-hour communication workshops for bedside nurses and structured rounds in ICUs, where nurse leaders coached bedside nurses in identifying and addressing palliative care needs. Primary outcomes were nurses' ratings of their palliative care communication skills in surveys, and nurses' identification of palliative care needs during coaching rounds. RESULTS: Each center held at least 6 workshops, training 428 bedside nurses. Nurses rated their skill level higher after the workshop for 15 tasks (eg, responding to family distress, ensuring families understand information in family meetings, all P < .01 vs preworkshop). Coaching rounds in each ICU took a mean of 3 hours per month. For 82% of 1110 patients discussed in rounds, bedside nurses identified palliative care needs and created plans to address them. CONCLUSIONS: Communication skills training workshops increased nurses' ratings of their palliative care communication skills. Coaching rounds supported nurses in identifying and addressing palliative care needs.

To Intubate or Not to Intubate: Emergency Medicine Physicians' Perspective on Intubating Critically Ill, Terminal Cancer Patients.

CONTEXT: Emergency physicians (EPs) often need to make a decision whether or not to intubate a terminal cancer patient. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore EPs' attitudes about intubating critically ill, terminal cancer patients. METHODS: Fifty EPs at three emergency departments (one university based, one community, and one Health Maintenance Organization) in Southern California participated in an anonymous survey that presented a hypothetical case of an end-stage lung cancer patient in pending respiratory failure. Fourteen questions along a five-point Likert scale asked EPs about prognosis and factors that influence their decision to intubate or not. RESULTS: A convenience sampling of 50 EPs yielded a 100% survey response rate. Ninety-four percent believed intubation would not provide an overall survival benefit. If the family insisted, 26% would intubate the patient even with a do-not-intubate (DNI) status. Ninety-four percent would postpone intubation if palliative consultation were available in the ED. Sixty-eight percent believed that a discussion about goals of care was more time consuming than intubation. Only 16% believed they had sufficient training in palliative care. Although 29% who felt they had inadequate palliative care training would intubate the patient with a DNI, only 13% of EPs with self-perceived adequate palliative care training would intubate that patient. CONCLUSION: EPs vary in their attitudes about intubating dying cancer patients when families demanded it, even when they believed it was nonbeneficial and against the patient's wishes. Palliative care education has the potential to influence that decision making. Intubation could be mitigated by the availability of palliative consultation in the ED.

Reduction of central neuropathic pain with ketamine infusion in a patient with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: a case report.

OBJECTIVE: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome frequently causes acute and chronic pain because of joint subluxations and dislocations secondary to hypermobility. Current treatments for pain related to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and central pain syndrome are inadequate. This case report discusses the therapeutic use of ketamine intravenous infusion as an alternative. CASE REPORT: A 27-year-old Caucasian female with a history of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and spinal cord ischemic myelopathy resulting in central pain syndrome, presented with severe generalized body pain refractory to multiple pharmacological interventions. After a 7-day course of ketamine intravenous infusion under controlled generalized sedation in the intensive care unit, the patient reported a dramatic reduction in pain levels from 7-8 out of 10 to 0-3 out of 10 on a numeric rating scale and had a significant functional improvement. The patient tolerated a reduction in her pain medication regimen, which originally included opioids, gabapentin, pregabalin, tricyclic antidepressants, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. CONCLUSION: Ketamine infusion treatment has been used in various pain syndromes, including central neuropathic pain, ischemic pain, and regional pain syndrome. Reports have suggested that ketamine modulates pain by the regression of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor to a resting state. As such, propagation of nociceptive signal to brain is interrupted allowing for the restoration of physiological balance between pain inhibition and facilitation. The present report shows that this treatment option can be used in patients with refractory central pain syndrome in the setting of spinal cord myelopathy secondary to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. In addition, as seen in this case, this protocol can potentially decrease the chronic use of pain medication, such as opioids.

Full-Thickness and Unstageable Pressure Injuries That Develop in Nursing Home Residents Despite Consistently Good Quality Care.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether stage 3, 4, and unstageable pressure injuries develop despite consistently good quality care (CGQC); ascertain whether these wounds occur without prior recognition of a lower-stage pressure injury; and to describe and analyze characteristics of nursing home residents and their higher-stage pressure injuries. DESIGN: Descriptive, nonexperimental, prospective analysis. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: A convenience sample of 20 residents from facilities participated in the study; research sites were located in 7 counties in Western Washington and Orange County, along with a single site in Wisconsin. METHODS: CGQC facilities were identified using a 3-step incremental approach. Research assistants verified CGQC at the facility level. After data collection was complete, a Longitudinal, Expert, All-Data Panel reviewed cases for a final resident-level validity check for CGQC. Remaining cases were submitted to analysis. RESULTS: Residents who developed advanced stage pressure injuries despite CGQC were older, had limited mobility, dementia, comorbid conditions, urinary or fecal incontinence, and infections. The pressure injuries were relatively small and had little-to-no undermining, exudate, or edema. CONCLUSIONS: Stage 3, 4, and unstageable pressure injuries were observed in nursing home residents despite CGQC. Results from this study may serve as a baseline for further research to evaluate characteristics of these wounds when they develop under settings of poor-quality care. Findings also may be useful in creating evidence-based practice guidelines to support decision making around mandatory reporting, diagnosis, and prosecution.

ICU Bedside Nurses' Involvement in Palliative Care Communication: A Multicenter Survey.

CONTEXT: Successful and sustained integration of palliative care into the intensive care unit (ICU) requires the active engagement of bedside nurses. OBJECTIVES: To describe the perspectives of ICU bedside nurses on their involvement in palliative care communication. METHODS: A survey was designed, based on prior work, to assess nurses' perspectives on palliative care communication, including the importance and frequency of their involvement, confidence, and barriers. The 46-item survey was distributed via e-mail in 2013 to bedside nurses working in ICUs across the five academic medical centers of the University of California, U.S. RESULTS: The survey was sent to 1791 nurses; 598 (33%) responded. Most participants (88%) reported that their engagement in discussions of prognosis, goals of care, and palliative care was very important to the quality of patient care. A minority reported often discussing palliative care consultations with physicians (31%) or families (33%); 45% reported rarely or never participating in family meeting discussions. Participating nurses most frequently cited the following barriers to their involvement in palliative care communication: need for more training (66%), physicians not asking their perspective (60%), and the emotional toll of discussions (43%). CONCLUSION: ICU bedside nurses see their involvement in discussions of prognosis, goals of care, and palliative care as a key element of overall quality of patient care. Based on the barriers participants identified regarding their engagement, interventions are needed to ensure that nurses have the education, opportunities, and support to actively participate in these discussions.

The benefits of rehabilitation for palliative care patients.

Palliative care requires an interdisciplinary team approach to provide the best care for patients with life-threatening illnesses. Like palliative medicine, rehabilitation also uses an interdisciplinary approach to treating patients with chronic illnesses. This review article focuses on rehabilitation interventions that can be beneficial in patients with late stage illnesses. Rehabilitation may be useful in improving the quality of life by palliating function, mobility, activities of daily living, pain relief, endurance, and the psyche of a patient while helping to maintain as much independence as possible, leading to a decrease in burden on caregivers and family. Rehabilitative services are underutilized in the palliative care setting, and more research is needed to address how patients may benefit as they approach the end of their lives.

On-going palliative care enhances perceived control and patient activation and reduces symptom distress in patients with symptomatic heart failure: a pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: There is a paucity of research about the impact of palliative care (PC) on perceived control (i.e. one's perceived influence over outcomes or events in the environment) and activation (i.e. ability to self-manage) in patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF). Likewise, little is known about the association between perceived control, activation, and symptom distress in this patient population. We hypothesized that patients with advanced HF who received ongoing PC services (i.e. ≥2 PC consultations) vs no access or a single PC consultation would have greater improvements in perceived control and activation and greater reductions in symptom distress three months post-discharge for HF exacerbation. METHODS: Forty-two patients (average age 53.9±8.0 years; predominantly male (72%), White (61%) and married (69%)) participated in the study. However, only 36 (85.7%) patients completed an outpatient PC consultation of which 29 (69%) patients returned for additional follow-up visits with the PC team. Data on perceived control, activation, and symptom distress were collected at baseline and three months. Parametric statistical models were applied to draw conclusions. RESULTS: Findings showed that the patients who received ≥2 PC consultations had greater improvements in perceived control and activation than their counterparts; these increases were associated with greater reductions in symptom distress. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that on-going PC interventions enhance perceived control and activation in patients with advanced HF and open up the possibility of planning larger studies to assess the effect of PC on these variables as possible mediators to improvements in self-management and clinical outcomes.

Examining the effects of an outpatient palliative care consultation on symptom burden, depression, and quality of life in patients with symptomatic heart failure.

BACKGROUND: We conducted this prospective comparative study to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of a palliative care consultation along with standard heart failure care in an outpatient setting regarding symptom burden, depression, and quality of life (QOL). METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-six patients (53.6 ± 8.3 years old) were referred for an outpatient palliative care consultation after discharge. Changes in symptom burden, depression, and QOL at 3 months were compared with 36 patients with symptomatic heart failure matched on age, sex, race, and New York Heart Association functional class. Improvements were observed in symptom burden, depression, and QOL in both groups over time (all P < .005), but were more pronounced in patients receiving a palliative care consultation (all P < .035). CONCLUSIONS: A palliative care consultation may reduce symptom burden and depression and enhance QOL in patients with symptomatic heart failure. Larger-scale randomized controlled trials sufficiently powered to assess clinical outcomes are warranted to determine the efficacy of palliative care services in outpatient settings regarding symptom distress, depression, and QOL in patients with symptomatic heart failure.

Does preparedness planning improve attitudes and completion of advance directives in patients with symptomatic heart failure?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: There is little evidence to support whether interventions that engage patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF) in preparedness planning impacts completion of advance directives (ADs). This study was conducted to assess the impact of a palliative care intervention on health perceptions, attitudes, receipt of information and knowledge of ADs, discussion of ADs with family and physicians, and completion of ADs in a cohort of patients with symptomatic HF. METHODS: Thirty-six patients hospitalized for HF decompensation were recruited and referred for an outpatient consultation with a palliative care specialist in conjunction with their routine HF follow-up visit after discharge; telephone interviews to assess health status and attitudes toward ADs were conducted before and 3 months after the initial consultation using an adapted version of the Advance Directive Attitude Survey (ADAS). Information pertaining to medical history and ADs was verified through medical chart abstraction. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The current study found support for enhancing attitudes and completion of ADs following a palliative care consultation in patients with symptomatic HF. Despite a significant increase in attitudes toward completion of ADs following the intervention, only 47% of the participants completed ADs. This finding suggests that although education and understanding of ADs is important and can result in more positive attitudes, it does not translate to completion of ADs in all patients.