Racial Disparities in Utilization of Palliative Care Among Patients Admitted With Advanced Solid Organ Malignancies

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Palliative Care
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Early palliative care integration is crucial for advanced cancer patients.
• Hospice palliative care is underutilized by Black cancer patients.
• Limited research exists on racial disparities in non-hospice palliative care use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine racial disparities in inpatient palliative care consultations (IPCC) for advanced cancer patients in US hospitals.
• To identify differences in IPCC utilization based on race.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 204,175 hospital admissions (2012-2014).
• Data sourced from the National Inpatient Dataset.
• Palliative care consultation identified using ICD-9 codes.

Main Results:

• 57.7% of patients who died received IPCC versus 10.5% discharged alive.
• Black patients were significantly less likely to receive IPCC than white patients (OR: 0.69).
• Race significantly impacted IPCC receipt, especially for discharged patients.

Conclusions:

• Significant racial disparities exist in IPCC utilization among advanced cancer patients.
• Death during hospitalization modified the association between race and palliative care receipt.
• Addressing these disparities is critical for equitable cancer care.