• Abigail Sy Chan, Amit Rout, Christopher R D 'Adamo, Irina Lev, Amy Yu, and Kenneth Miller.
• Department of Medicine, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, MD, USA.
• Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2021 May 18: 10499091211017873.

BackgroundTimely identification of palliative care needs can reduce hospitalizations and improve quality of life. The Supportive & Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT) identifies patients with advanced medical conditions who may need special care planning. The Rothman Index (RI) detects patients at high risk of acutely decompensating in the inpatient setting. SPICT and RI among cancer patients were utilized in this study to evaluate their potential roles in palliative care referrals.MethodsAdvanced cancer patients admitted to an institution in Baltimore, Maryland in 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patient demographics, length of hospital stay (LOS), palliative care referrals, RI scores, and SPICT scores were obtained. Patients were divided into SPICT positive or negative and RI > 60 or RI < 60.Unpaired t-tests and chi-square tests were utilized to determine the associations between SPICT and RI and early palliative care needs and mortality.Results227 patients were included, with a mean age of 68 years, 63% Black, 59% female, with the majority having lung and GI malignancies. Sixty percent were SPICT +, 21% had RI < 60. SPICT + patients were more likely to have RI < 60 (p = 0.001). SPICT + and RI < 60 patients were more likely to have longer LOS, change in code status, more palliative/hospice referrals, and increased mortality (p <0.05).ConclusionsSPICT and RI are valuable tools in predicting mortality and palliative/hospice care referrals. These can also be utilized to initiate early palliative and goals of care discussions in patients with advanced cancer.

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