New York, NY-- Earlier introduction of palliative care for patients hospitalized with advanced cancer is associated with lower hospital costs, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology . The findings support a growing body of evidence that suggests that early provision of palliative care not only enhances the quality of medical care received by patients and families with serious illness, but does so at a lower cost than traditional oncologic care.
The observational study, funded by the National Cancer Institute and National Institute for Nursing Research, compared the clinical and cost data from 969 adult patients with an advanced cancer diagnosis in five US hospitals from 2007 to 2011, with 256 patients receiving palliative care and traditional oncologic care and 713 receiving traditional oncologic care alone. Comparison of the two groups showed:
"As our population ages and patterns of disease continue to shift, there is an urgent need for affordable models of care for patients living with serious illness that improve quality and access," explained R. Sean Morrison, MD, senior author of the study and director of the National Palliative Care Research Center. The results of this study suggest that palliative care has its greatest effect when provided early in the course of hospitalization.
Palliative care provides specialized medical attention for people with serious illnesses, with a focus on relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness - whatever the diagnosis. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family, and is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and can be provided along with curative treatment. Care is delivered by a team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with a patient's primary physicians to provide an extra layer of support.
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The manuscript, "Prospective cohort study of hospital palliative care teams for inpatients with advanced cancer: earlier consultation is associated with larger cost-saving effect," will be published as an Early Release Article on http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/early/recent . Authors of the paper include Peter May and Charles Normand, PhD, Centre for Health Policy and Management, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland; Melissa M. Garrido, MD, Amy S. Kelley, MD, Diane E. Meier, MD, Lee Stefanis, and R. Sean Morrison, MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York; J. Brian Cassel, PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, V; and Thomas J. Smith, MD, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD.
ABOUT THE CENTER TO ADVANCE PALLIATIVE CARE
The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) is a national organization dedicated to increasing palliative care services for people facing serious illness. It is part of The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. http://www.capc.org
Journal of Clinical Oncology