• Kyle P Edmonds and Toluwalase A Ajayi.
• Doris A. Howell Palliative Care, UC San Diego Health, San Diego, California.
• J Palliat Med. 2019 Dec 1; 22 (12): 1546-1552.

Abstract Background: There is no consensus approach to describe the process or components of goals of care (GOC) conversations. Objective: The objective was to review the utilization of the phrase "GOC" in PubMed-indexed literature to contextualize the use of the phrase. Secondary aim was to describe the use of this phrase within journals focused on palliative care. Methods: A review of articles in the PubMed-indexed literature published during a single year utilizing the phrase "goals of care." Results: A total of 191 articles were reviewed after exclusions. Few articles included an operant definition for GOC (n = 27, 14%). It was often used to describe conversations focused on determining intent for treatment (n = 57, 30%), talks about death or dying (n = 52, 27%), or simply vague discussions (n = 39, 20%). The agenda was focused on the outcomes of the conversation (n = 169, 88%) compared with factors such as hopes, worries, values, and personhood (n = 22, 12%). The majority did not utilize the phrase "palliative care" (n = 77, 40%); those who did frequently used "palliative care" incorrectly (n = 72, 38%). Conclusions: The definition of the phrase GOC is most often assumed with its context centered on the needs of the health care system and linked to a specific medical topic. It is most commonly used to describe determinations of the patient's therapy intent, second most commonly to describe end-of-life conversations. The use of the phrase GOC within the palliative literature does not differ notably from its use in the broader literature.

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