Why do Palliative Care Patients Present to the Emergency Department? Avoidable or Unavoidable?
American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 05/25/2012
Wallace EM et al. – Many Emergency Department (ED) presentations by palliative care patients may be avoidable. Appropriate sharing of information to on–call doctors, creating confidence in carers and providing extra practical supports is necessary. A comprehensive, coordinated specialist palliative care approach across community and acute services may help ensure patients are not sent to the ED inappropriately.



