Brief Communication: Findings from a Canadian national workshop: Delays in transfers from acute care to a palliative care unit/hospice

Lise Huynh, Kalli Stilos, Lesia A. Wynnychuk

Abstract


There is growing concern about the quality of end-of-life (EOL) care provided in acute care hospital settings in Canada, as there are more patients receiving EOL care in acute care hospitals than in any other healthcare setting (Ó Coimín et al., 2019). Dying in an acute care setting is a matter of national importance, and respecting a patient’s wish regarding their preferred place of death has become a central outcome measure of quality end-of-life care (Vidal et al., 2020). Furthermore, the Canadian healthcare system is functioning under significant strain and increasing occupancy pressures due, in part, to the overwhelming number of Canadians who continue to receive their EOL care in the acute hospital setting (Fraser, 2016).


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References


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