Ann Palliat Care Med | Volume 2, Issue 1 | Research Article | Open Access
Alexandria J Robbins1,2*, Todd Rockwood3, Fatima Alwan1, Gregory J Beilman4, Stephen Huddleston5, Nicholas Lemke5, Jagadish Patil6, Marshall Hertz6 and Drew Rosielle2,7
1Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, USA
2Department of Family Medicine & Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School, USA
3Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, USA
4Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, USA
5Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, USA
6Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonology, University of Minnesota Medical School, USA
7Department of Internal Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, USA
*Correspondance to: Alexandria J Robbins
Fulltext PDFBackground: Several prominent societies have published statements promoting earlier integration of palliative care for patients with advanced lung disease. Our institution recently added palliative care consultation to the lung transplant evaluation process.
Study Design: Patients (n=153) who underwent lung transplant evaluation were sent surveys. Of those, 29 had died, 10 asked to be excluded and 45 (36%) completed the survey. This included the 15-item Advance Care Planning (ACP) Engagement survey, a validated tool to assess readiness and self-efficacy.
Results: The ACP-engagement survey showed high self-efficacy and readiness. Regarding potential bad outcomes after lung transplant, palliative care helped them feel more informed (63% “extremely”) and ready/prepared (59% “extremely”). A t-test compared mean scores between lung transplant provider team members. Pulmonologists were the most likely to help participants feel both informed and ready & prepared for potential bad outcomes (p=0.02). Overall, participants reported that the palliative care consult had a high impact.
Conclusion: The palliative care visit specifically offered benefit in patient and medical decision maker preparation for potential bad outcomes, independent of their ACP engagement and knowledge about the visit beforehand.
Surgical palliative care; Lung transplant; Preparedness planning; Palliative care
Robbins AJ, Rockwood T, Alwan F, Beilman GJ, Huddleston S, Lemke N, et al. Patient Experience with Integrated Palliative Care Consult in Lung Transplant Evaluation Process. Ann Palliat Care Med. 2021; 2(1): 1008..