Palliative care can shorten the length of stay for severely ill surgical patients who require ventilation, according to a study published in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.
Researchers from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock analyzed all-payer inpatient care data on adults who underwent surgery and required mechanical ventilation for at least 96 hours between 2009 and 2013. Researchers also identified those who received palliative care.
Palliative care use among surgical patients who required ventilation increased from 5.7 percent in 2009 to 11 percent in 2013. The median length of stay for hospitalized patients with palliative care was 16 days, compared to 18 for those who did not receive it. Patients discharged to short- or long-term care facilities also had a shorter length of stay if they received palliative care.
"Palliative care and surgery have a long and intertwined tradition of improving quality of life for patients. Supporting and integrating the two specialties in the care of critically ill patients provides the combined benefits of each field’s experience, expertise and commitment to excellent care,” three physicians wrote in an editorial accompanying the study.