Advance care planning and hospital outcomes in solid tumour oncology inpatients

To assess the association between advance care planning (ACP) and outcomes of in-hospital mortality, 30-day hospital readmission and 30-day emergency department (ED) visits among patients with cancer.

This observational cohort analysis included patients with solid tumour malignancies receiving oncology care and admitted at Yale New Haven Hospital between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2021.

Among 19 422 patients, 1283 (6.6%) had a documented ACP note. Compared with patients without an ACP, patients with an ACP tended to be older, have longer LOS, be admitted to an oncology inpatient team, subsequently admitted to intensive care unit and have a lower Rothman Index. Multivariable logistic regression identified ACP as independently associated with decreased 30-day readmission (OR=0.70 (95% CI: 0.60 to 0.82)) and 30-day ED visit (OR=0.79 (95% CI: 0.68 to 0.91)), adjusting for in-hospital mortality and patient characteristics.

ACP documentation is associated with decreased readmissions and ED visits, independent of hospice utilisation.