Journal staff
Bluewater Health is introducing a new tool to help improve patients’ access to palliative care, the hospital announced recently.
Hospital One-Year Mortality Risk (HOMR) is designed to more accurately identify patients who may be in their final year of life, who could benefit from early support of the palliative care team. HOMR uses data routinely collected by hospitals to calculate each patient’s risk of dying within a year of their admission to hospital — with a goal of determining whether the patient has unmet palliative care needs.
“Research shows that patients who receive early intervention by the palliative care team live longer, better quality lives,” said palliative care physician Dr. Allison Crombeen. “There is sometimes a stigma for patients and families that palliative care is synonymous with end of life. However, early palliative care benefits both physical and mental health and can even extend life.
“Ideally, the palliative care team should be involved from the diagnosis of a life limiting condition.”
Palliative care is a specialized medical care that focuses on providing patients relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness, no matter the diagnosis or stage of disease. A positive HOMR score triggers a conversation with Bluewater Health’s palliative consultant nurse at the patient’s bedside to discuss topics such as advanced care planning and symptom management, the hospital noted.
“This approach is more accurate and reliable than any provider-dependent approach could hope to be. It will help us remove any roadblocks to getting patients’ the early access to palliative care that they need,” said Crombeen.
If the patient has unmet palliative care needs and is agreeable to a consult, they will be referred to a palliative care physician. Outcomes from the consult may include home care referral, documentation of goals of care, pain and symptom management, and follow up with palliative care services in the community.
Bluewater Health is participating in the HOMR initiative as part of a palliative care research project lead by principal investigators at The Ottawa Hospital and Humber River Hospital.