A comparison of symptom management and utilization of specialist palliative care in the early COVID-19 pandemic: A multi-site retrospective chart review

Background: COVID-19 is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Previous work has described symptom management provided by specialists in palliative care for COVID-19 patients. However, there is a paucity of literature describing primary level palliative care provided by general internal medicine teams or reasons for referral to specialists. Objective: Our aim was to describe and compare the following outcomes for patients dying of COVID-19: (1) symptom management by acute care providers and palliative care specialists, and (2) utilization of palliative care consultation across two acute care hospitals in Toronto, Ontario during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We undertook a retrospective chart review of 45 adult inpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 between 23 January 2020 to 19 May 2020 who died, and/or those who had a palliative care consultation. Findings: Forty-one of the 45 patients died. Common symptoms were shortness of breath and agitation. For these symptoms, pharmacologic management was not significantly different for patients seen by palliative care compared to those without consultation. Most consultations were for end-of-life care. There were significantly more palliative care consults for COVID-19 patients at one hospital (P=.001). Conclusion: The findings highlight the significant discrepancy in involvement of specialist palliative care between settings. More research is needed to validate the initial findings from this small sample size, understand the needs of palliative care providers in this setting, and appreciate the factors influencing consultation.