EVALUATION OF REQUESTED CONSULTATIONS AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES IN PALLIATIVE CARE SERVICE

Abstract

Objective: With the aging population, chronic diseases are increasing and many patients with high comorbidities are admitted to palliative care services. Consultations and opinions from various branches facilitate the multidisciplinary approach. In this study, the multidisciplinary approaches provided by the consultations requested to the patients hospitalized in the palliative care service were evaluated. Materıal And Methods: Patients who were treated in Eskişehir City Hospital Palliative Care Service between January and April 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: In the study, 70 patients included, 48.6% (n=34) were female, and the mean age was 73.4 (27-97). 30% of the patients had malignancy. 25.7% applied directly from home (n=18), 18.6% came from different services (n=13) and 55.7% came from intensive care units (n=39). 72.9% were discharged (n=51), 25.7% were discharged (n=18) and 1.43% were transferred to intensive care (n=1). Consultation was requested in 72.9% (n=51) of the patients in the study, and 27.1% (n= 19) of the patients, were not asked for consultation. Conclusions: A wide range of patient groups, from cancer patients to dementia, are hospitalized in the palliative care service. As the comorbid disease of the patients increases, the number of consultations increases. In our study, it was determined that the most frequently consulted branch was infectious diseases. The reason for this is the increase in the duration of hospitalization, the increase in the risk of contracting nosocomial infections, and consultation requests for discontinuation or change of antibiotics started. In the study, the reason for the lack of algology consultation with internal diseases and sub-branch branches was evaluated as the fact that internal diseases and anesthesia specialists were obsorving the patient with a broad perspective. The high rate of patients discharged home and the fact that they can be followed at home may be the result of a multidisciplinary approach in palliative care. With the aging population, chronic diseases are increasing, which further increases the need for palliative care. Establishing interdisciplinary communication in the palliative care service facilitates symptom management and may shorten the length of stay.