Noncomfort Medication Use in Acute Care Inpatients Comanaged by Palliative Care Specialists Near the End of Life A Cohort Study

Background/Objective:To examine comfort medication (CM) and noncomfort (NC) medication use in inpatients comanaged by palliative care (PC) near the end of life.Methods:Chart review of inpatients comanaged by the PC service at 2 academic hospitals. Medications were categorized as CM and NC medication according to the published guidelines.Results:Seventy patients met inclusion criteria. In the final week of life, inpatients were receiving a mean of 6 CM (40 doses) and 7 NC medications (41 doses). Four new NC medications were started per patient, but only 3 were discontinued. The NC medications were most frequently discontinued on the day of PC consult, but 14% were stopped on the day of death/PC unit transfer.Conclusion:Inpatients comanaged by PC continue to receive NC medications as they near the end of life.