A questionnaire survey on the implementation of palliative care in the emergency department in China

Abstract Objectives This study was conducted to characterize the need for palliative care and its effect on patients with end-stage disease in the emergency department (ED). Design This was a prospective cohort study. A questionnaire survey was administered to patients with end-stage disease who were admitted to the resuscitation room of the ED and expected to live less than 6 months. Results A total of 82 of 2095 patients admitted to the resuscitation room were included. Only 1 (1.22%) patient had ever received palliative care before admission. Nine patients received palliative care consultation after admission, and they were more likely to select medical places of death accompanied by their families and do not resuscitate orders at the end of life after consultation (P