Research Mentor Name
Dr. Amber Comer, PhD, JD
Research Mentor Email Address
amber.comer@ama-assn.org
Institution / Department
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Document Type
Research Abstract
Research Type
healthcommunityimpact
Level of Research
no
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Palliative care is a vital resource for the critically or terminally ill. It has myriad benefits such as improved quality of life, reduced depressive symptoms, and decreased scarce resource utilization. Self-identified Black/African patients, however, are less likely to utilize advanced care directives or engage in hospice/comfort care measures and are more likely to prefer intensive treatment at the end of life. There is no research, however, on how the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected these trends.
METHODS
A retrospective cohort study of patients who experienced in hospital mortality or in hospital hospice due to COVID-19 between March 2020 – October 2020 was performed within three major hospital systems in two large urban midwestern cities. Data on patient demographics and clinical characteristics, medical treatments received, and outcomes associated with having a palliative care consultation were collected. Bivariate analyses were performed to determine significance, followed by multivariate analysis on variables with a p<0.10.
RESULTS
A total of n=479 patients were studied, 364 identified as Black/African American, 115 as White. Black patients were less likely to receive a palliative care consult (p<0.028, and more likely to undergo cardiopulmonary resuscitation (p<0.0001), intubation (p<0.0307), and acute/chronic dialysis (p<0.0012). There was no difference between the duration of hospitalization or rate of ICU admission.
CONCLUSION
Pre-pandemic data shows that there are established differences in the utilization of palliative services among different racial/ethnic groups. Our study found that this persisted throughout the pandemic. This data provides insight into how the pandemic influenced decision-making and may inform future palliative and critical care practices in future global emergencies.
Disciplines
Bioethics and Medical Ethics | Critical Care | Medical Humanities | Medicine and Health Sciences | Palliative Care | Social Justice
Recommended Citation
Bove, Margaret S.; Huber, Benjamin; Hardeman, Myles; Harris, Daniel; Jawed, Areeba; and Comer, Amber, "Racial Disparities in Palliative Care Utilization in the COVID-19 Pandemic" (2024). Medical Student Research Symposium. 294.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/som_srs/294
Included in
Bioethics and Medical Ethics Commons, Critical Care Commons, Medical Humanities Commons, Palliative Care Commons, Social Justice Commons