Journal of palliative medicine
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Inpatient palliative care consultations have been shown to reduce acute care utilization by reducing length of stay, but less is known about their impact on subsequent costs including hospital readmissions. ⋯ Palliative care palliative care consultations facilitate goals discussions, which in turn are associated with reduced rates of 30-day readmissions.
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Demoralization is a syndrome of existential distress characterized by loss of meaning and purpose in life, hopelessness, and helplessness. Empirical data on its occurrence and associated factors in terminally ill patients is limited. ⋯ Demoralization is a significant dimension of distress in terminally ill cancer patients. In the end-of-life inpatient care setting, the preference to discuss expected survival with a physician can parallel existential distress and anxiety. Further elucidation of patients' underlying existential needs will inform interventions that sustain meaning and hope in face of a limited life expectancy.