ED-initiated Palliative care for older people transferred from residential aged care: wrong time and place, or exactly what is needed?

Palliative care, the holistic care of a person with a life-limiting illness and their family, is increasingly needed in the Emergency Department (ED) due to escalating presentations of older people with end-of-life care needs. In Australia, one third of older people living in residential aged care (RAC) are transferred to hospital in the last month of life and one in five older people living in RAC will die in the hospital setting. Early initiation of palliative care can improve the quality of end-of-life care for patients and the experience of families.
In this study we will explore the experiences and decision-making practices of ED clinicians (doctors and nurses) and consumers (patients and family) experiences before and after the introduction of interventions to support earlier recognition and response to end-of-life care. In this project we will explore the contextual and cultural practices influencing ED clinician decision-making and trial a tool designed to enhance recognition and response to the end-of-life care needs of older people transferred from residential aged care.