The Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) held its 48th Critical Care Congress in San Diego, California. The Society of Critical Care Medicine is the largest non-profit medical organization dedicated to promoting excellence and consistency in the practice of critical care. With members in more than 100 countries, SCCM is the only organization that represents all professional components of the critical care team. The Society offers a variety of activities that ensures excellence in patient care, education, research and advocacy.*
For the 48th Critical Care Congress, abstract contributions of original investigative research and case reports for the advancement of critical care were requested. If accepted, the abstract would then be considered for presentation at Congress. Hospitalist, Dr. Stephen Chi, was chosen to present his abstract on “Early Palliative Care Consultation in the Medical ICU.” His abstract was selected from over 1800 submitted abstracts.
Not only did Dr. Chi present his research at the 48th Critical Care Congress, but he was also one of the recipients of the prestigious Star Research Award. The Star Research Award is in recognition of high quality original investigative research. The Congress published Dr. Chi’s abstract in Critical Care Medicine, the #1 critical care subspecialty journal.
In this randomized controlled trial, high-risk ICU patients received either standard of care or a proactive palliative care consult within 48 hours of ICU admission. Patients seen by the palliative care team were then followed through transfer to the hospital floor until discharge. His study found that these early palliative care consults were associated with significant increases in code status de-escalation and hospice transfers, as well as decreases in mechanical ventilator days, tracheostomies, and post-discharge emergency room visits and readmissions.
Read more about Dr. Chi’s research.