Analysis of palliative care needs in hospitalized patients

To determine the prevalence of palliative care needs in patients in an acute care hospital and to analyze the profile of these patients.

We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study in an acute care hospital, in April 2018. The study population consisted of all patients over 18 years of age admitted to hospital wards and intensive care units. Variables were collected on a single day by six micro-teams using the NECPAL CCOMS-ICO© instrument. The descriptive analysis, on patient mortality and length of stay, was performed at a one-month follow-up.

We assessed 153 patients, of whom 65 (42.5%) were female, with a mean age of 68.17±17.03 years. A total of 45 patients (29.4%) were found to be SQ+, of which 42 were NECPAL+ (27.5%), with a mean age of 76.64±12.70 years. According to the disease indicators, 33.35% had cancer, 28.6% had heart disease, and 19% had COPD, resulting in a ratio of 1:3 between patients with cancer and non-cancer disease. Half of the inpatients in need of palliative care were in the Internal Medicine Unit.

Almost 28% of patients were identified as NECPAL+, most of them not identified as under palliative care in clinical records. Greater awareness and knowledge from healthcare professionals would facilitate the early identification of these patients and avoid overlooking palliative care needs.