Intervention to improve care at life's end in inpatient settings: the BEACON trial.

Background: Widespread implementation of palliative care treatment plans could reduce suffering in the last days of life by adopting best practices of traditionally home-based hospice care in inpatient settings.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-modal intervention strategy to improve processes of end-of-life care in inpatient settings.

Design: Implementation trial with an intervention staggered across hospitals using a multiple-baseline, stepped wedge design.