Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38422038›Full record

Observational studyPloS one2024

Current practice of hospital-based palliative care teams: Advance care planning in advanced stages of disease: A retrospective observational study.

Iris van Doorne, Dick L Willems, Nadine Baks, Jelle de Kuijper, Bianca M Buurman, Marjon van Rijn

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Missed opportunities: delayed in-hospital palliative care consultations in patients with non-metastatic cancers.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Establishment of Integrated Hospital-Based Supportive and Palliative Services: An Experience from Iran.International journal of hematology-oncology and stem cell research · 2026
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Iris van DoorneAmsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-5880-419X
Dick L WillemsAmsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, General Practice, Section of Medical Ethics, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Nadine BaksAmsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Jelle de KuijperAmsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Bianca M BuurmanAmsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Marjon van RijnAmsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Amsterdam University Medical Centers · NLGGD Amsterdam · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSpecialist palliative care teams are consulted during hospital admission for advice on complex palliative care. These consultations need to be timely to prevent symptom burden and maintain quality of life. Insight into specialist palliative care teams may help improve the outcomes of palliative care.

methodsIn this retrospective observational study, we analyzed qualitative and quantitative data of palliative care consultations in a six-month period (2017 or 2018) in four general hospitals in the northwestern part of the Netherlands. Data were obtained from electronic medical records.

resultsWe extracted data from 336 consultations. The most common diagnoses were cancer (54.8%) and organ failure (26.8%). The estimated life expectancy was less than three months for 52.3% of all patients. Within two weeks after consultation, 53.2% of the patients died, and the median time until death was 11 days (range 191) after consultation. Most patients died in hospital (49.4%) but only 7.5% preferred to die in hospital. Consultations were mostly requested for advance care planning (31.6%). End-of-life preferences focused on last wishes and maintaining quality of life.

conclusionThis study provides detailed insight into consultations of palliative care teams and shows that even though most palliative care consultations were requested for advance care planning, consultations focus on end-of-life care and are more crisis-oriented than prevention-oriented. Death often occurs too quickly after consultation for end-of-life preferences to be met and these preferences tend to focus on dying. Educating healthcare professionals on when to initiate advance care planning would promote a more prevention-oriented approach. Defining factors that indicate the need for timely palliative care team consultation and advance care planning could help timely identification and consultation.

Indexed as

Advance Care PlanningPalliative CareDeathHospitals, GeneralHumansQuality of Life

Identifiers

PMID38422038
PMCPMC10903912
OpenAlexW4392283614

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.