Differential Use of Outpatient Palliative Care by Demographic and Clinical Characteristics
Using electronic health record data of all adults referred to outpatient palliative care (PC) at the University of California, San Francisco from 10/2017-10/2021, authors assessed whether demographic and clinical characteristics were associated with completion of an initial PC visit and at least one follow-up visit.
The study, in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, found that Black and Latinx patients were less likely to complete an initial visit and those with a preferred language other than English were less likely to complete a follow-up visit. To promote equity in PC, these differences and their impact on outcomes must be explored.