A Randomized Trial of Palliative Care Discussions Linked to an Automated Early Warning System Alert.

Objective: To determine whether an Early Warning System could identify patients wishing to focus on palliative care measures. Design: Prospective, randomized, pilot study. Setting: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Saint Louis, MO (January 15, 2015, to December 12, 2015). Patients: A total of 206 patients; 89 intervention (43.2%) and 117 controls (56.8%). Interventions: Palliative care in high-risk patients targeted by an Early Warning System. Measurements and Main Results: Advanced directive documentation was significantly greater prior to discharge in the intervention group (37.1% vs 15.4%; p

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