From Screening to Outcomes: Rethinking Palliative Care Metrics in the Intensive Care Unit
Specialty palliative care (PC) in the intensive care unit (ICU) enhances quality of life and reduces symptom burden (1). Although it is estimated that approximately 15–20% of ICU patients could benefit from specialty PC (2), it remains underused or initiated late in the ICU admission (3). PC “triggers” or standardized referral criteria using structured electronic health record data are one proposed way to identify patients who might benefit most from specialty PC (4). In this issue of AnnalsATS, Hochberg
