Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2014
A quality improvement initiative for improving appropriateness of referrals from a cancer center to subacute rehabilitation.
Subacute rehabilitation may not be appropriate for many patients with advanced cancer. We evaluated outcomes of cancer center inpatients transferred to subacute rehabilitation, implemented a multidisciplinary intervention to improve appropriateness of referrals, and evaluated its potential impact. ⋯ Intervention may have improved outcomes short-term but was complicated and difficult to maintain. Addressing appropriateness of subacute rehabilitation referrals can occur within a multidisciplinary approach to improving communication about goals of care for patients with advanced disease.