title: [Use of a standard format to describe the activity of hospital-based palliative care team: a lever for improving end of life care].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Early integrated palliative care is recommended in patients with incurable disease. Despite their development, hospital-based palliative care teams (PCT) are introduced late in the course of standard oncology care. The objective of this study is to describe the activity of an academic hospital-based PCT, using a standard format, which integrates indicators of early introduction and quality of end of life care, thus allowing a systematic analysis of its practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  The annual activity of the PCT is described from 2007 to 2012. Data are collected for each patient prospectively by the team: reasons for referral and activities of PCT, performance status and chemotherapy at the time of first referral, visit to emergency and admission to ICU.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of patients referred to the PCT increased from 337 patients in 2007 to 539 in 2012, among whom 90% were cancer patients, 84% at metastatic stage. Relief of symptoms was the most frequent reason for referral. In 2012, 280 (64%) patients were receiving chemotherapy and 41% had a PS≤2 at the time of first referral. Half patients died each year (270 in 2012); 17% of these received chemotherapy in their last 14 days of life, 3% visited emergency room twice and 13% were admitted in ICU, once during their last month of life, 48% died in hospice or at home.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of a standard format to describe the activity of hospital-based PCTs, the timing of their introduction and the quality of care is feasible. The generalization of this format for monitoring to assess the curative medicine interface/palliative could be a lever for improving the integration of palliative care.
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, groupe hospitalier Cochin Broca Hôtel-Dieu, unité fonctionnelle de médecine palliative, 75014 Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, 75006 Paris, France; Inserm, UMR-S 872, équipe 20, 75006 Paris, France. Electronic address: isabelle.colombet@cch.aphp.fr.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Colombet
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, groupe hospitalier Cochin Broca Hôtel-Dieu, unité fonctionnelle de médecine palliative, 75014 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Pascale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vinant
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, hôpital Avicenne, équipe mobile de soins palliatifs, 93000 Bobigny, France.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Joffin
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, groupe hospitalier Cochin Broca Hôtel-Dieu, unité fonctionnelle de médecine palliative, 75014 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Weiler
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, groupe hospitalier Cochin Broca Hôtel-Dieu, unité fonctionnelle de médecine palliative, 75014 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chaillot
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, groupe hospitalier Cochin Broca Hôtel-Dieu, unité fonctionnelle de médecine palliative, 75014 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moreau
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, groupe hospitalier Cochin Broca Hôtel-Dieu, unité fonctionnelle de médecine palliative, 75014 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Marie-Yvonne
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Guillard
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, groupe hospitalier Cochin Broca Hôtel-Dieu, unité fonctionnelle de médecine palliative, 75014 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Montheil
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends; D006760:Hospitalization; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000458:organization & administration; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards