Palliative Care Services at Hospitals Reduce End-of-Life ICU Stays

January 20, 2020

(UPI) – Providing palliative care in hospitals led to a 10 percent reduction in intensive care unit use by dying patients, a new study finds. Palliative care aims to provide relief from symptoms and stress of a serious illness. Researchers say that ICU use at the end of life is considered an indicator of poor quality of care. The study’s findings suggest that “implementing palliative care programs may be a way to improve the quality of end-of-life care for some patients who die in the hospital,” said study lead author Dr. May Hua.