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Emergency Department-Initiated Palliative Care Consultations for Patients with Cancer: Utilization Patterns, Clinical
Satheesh Gunaga1, Alyssa Buchheister1, Harish Neelam2
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University Health Sciences, Detroit, Michigan; Envision Healthcare, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The Journal of Emergency Medicine
|July 27, 2026
Summary
Emergency department (ED) consultations for hospice and palliative care (HPC) among cancer patients significantly increased by 388% from 2016 to 2023. This trend highlights growing integration of palliative care in emergency settings for oncology patients.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Palliative Care
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Early palliative care integration is recommended for cancer patients.
- Limited data exists on palliative care implementation in emergency departments (EDs).
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate trends in ED-initiated hospice and palliative care (HPC) consultations for cancer patients.
- Characterize utilization patterns and clinical profiles of these consultations.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study (2016-2023) using electronic medical records.
- Included adult cancer patients with ED diagnoses receiving ED-initiated HPC consultations.
- Analyzed annual consultation trends, clinical characteristics, and inpatient utilization.
Main Results:
- A 388% increase in ED-initiated HPC consultations from 2016 to 2023.
- Consultations rose 86.3% post-COVID-19 onset.
- Hospital admission occurred in 92.4% of encounters; 53.3% resulted in in-hospital death.
Conclusions:
- ED-initiated HPC consultations for cancer patients have substantially increased over 8 years.
- This indicates growing integration of specialty palliative care within emergency care for oncology patients.
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