Tertiary Inpatient Palliative Care within Region-Wide Services: A Retrospective Examination of Psychosocial and Medical Demographics at Admissions.

Simple Summary: This study examined patient-reported outcomes from a local tertiary palliative care unit (TPCU; locally named the IPCU) compared to published outcomes from other Canadian TPCUs. A retrospective file review revealed that compared to published Canadian TPCU data, the IPCU population was younger with more advanced cancer, the rate of hospital deaths was lower, and discharge to preferred locations was better. This service is well integrated in a variety of palliative care services within the health region, providing care at appropriate levels of need. We interpret that when enveloped in well-organized services within the region, a TPCU may be better able to prioritize patients with later-stage disease, facilitate the management of symptom crises earlier, and improve the rates of discharge to preferred locations. Palliative care offers symptom relief and improved quality of life. Tertiary palliative care units (TPCUs) focus on complex suffering under the care of specialist palliative physicians and interdisciplinary teams. The Intensive Palliative Care Unit (IPCU) is a TPCU integrated in well-developed region-wide palliative services in Calgary, Canada. We compared the population accessing the IPCU to published data from other Canadian sites. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted using 8 sample months over a 2-year period. We gleaned psychosocial and medical demographics alongside the self-reported symptom burden on the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results: Adults (n = 117) with cancer admitted to the IPCU were 5–10 years younger, had later-stage cancer, and had higher discharges to preferred locations than other published Canadian TPCUs. Up to two months before admission, most commonly reported symptoms were consistent with the outpatient literature although with higher reported intensity. Discussion: With more advanced disease, younger age, and elevated symptom burden before admission, the IPCU still discharged patients to preferred locations at higher rates than other sites. This may be due to integration in the region's organized palliative care services. Conclusion: With proper integration, a TPCU may be able to improve quality of life and reduce deaths in hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]