Palliative Care Decreases Emergency Department Visits for All, but Especially for Some

From the NEJM’s Journal Watch:

Palliative care improves quality of life for patients with terminal conditions and also decreases ED utilization. The field of research on palliative care initiated from the ED setting is burgeoning. This study joins others in demonstrating that a little extra effort up front (i.e., connecting the patient with palliative care) will not only alleviate suffering but also prevent a lot of future work managing avoidable visits.