Outcomes of Patients With Hematologic Malignancies Who Received Inpatient Palliative Care Consultation.

Purpose: Palliative care (PC) plays an established role in improving outcomes in patients with solid tumors, yet these services are underutilized in hematologic malignancies (HMs). We reviewed records of hospitalized patients with active HM to determine associations between PC consultation and length of stay, intensive care unit stay, 30-day readmission, and 6-month mortality compared with those who were not seen by PC.

Methods: We reviewed all oncology admissions at our institution between 2013 and 2019 and included patients with HM actively on treatment, stratified by those seen by PC to controls not seen by PC.

Patient Outcomes After Palliative Care Consultation Among Patients Undergoing Therapeutic Hypothermia.

Objectives: To compare the clinical outcomes of patients who did and did not receive palliative care consultation among those who experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and underwent therapeutic hypothermia.

Methods: We identified patients at a single academic medical center who had undergone therapeutic hypothermia after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest between 2009 and 2013. We performed a retrospective chart review for demographic data, hospital and critical care length of stay, and clinical outcomes of care.

Providing Pediatric Palliative Care Education Using Problem-Based Learning.

Background: The Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics has called for improvement in education and training of pediatricians in pediatric palliative care (PPC). Given the shortage of PPC physicians and the immediate need for PPC medical education, this study reports the outcomes of a problem-based learning (PBL) module facilitated by academic general and subspecialty pediatric faculty (non-PPC specialists) to third year medical students. Objectives/Setting: To test the effectiveness of a PPC-PBL module on third year medical students' and pediatric faculty's declarative knowledge, attitudes toward, perceived exposure, and self-assessed competency in PPC objectives.

Prevalence and factors associated with cognitive deficit in women with gynecologic malignancies.

Objective: Cognitive impairment has implications in counseling, treatment, and survivorship for women with gynecologic malignancies. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors associated with cognition in women with gynecologic malignancies.

Methods: After Institutional Review Board approval, 165 women at an urban ambulatory gynecologic oncology facility were queried using a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Wong-Baker pain scale, neuropathy scale, Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) Depression Scale, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD 7).

Let's Talk Critical. Development and Evaluation of a Communication Skills Training Program for Critical Care Fellows.

Rationale: Although expert communication between intensive care unit clinicians with patients or surrogates improves patient- and family-centered outcomes, fellows in critical care medicine do not feel adequately trained to conduct family meetings.

Objectives: We aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a communication skills program that could be easily integrated into a U.S.

Older adults with heel ulcers in the acute care setting: frequency of noninvasive vascular assessment, surgical intervention, and 1-year mortality.

Objectives: To examine how often hospitalized older adults with a diagnosis of heel ulcers are evaluated with noninvasive vascular tests and to determine the impact of invasive vascular or surgical procedures on 1-year mortality.

Design: Retrospective review using an electronic database and chart review of all patients discharged with a diagnosis of heel ulcer between 2006 and 2009.

Setting: Urban teaching hospital.