New Research on End-of-Life Transitions for Patients with Cognitive Impairments

A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine shares findings from a study on the prevalence of burdensome end-of-life transitions for patients with cognitive impairment. The authors characterize care transitions in the last days of life, lack of continuity in nursing homes in the last 90 days of life, or multiple hospitalizations in the last 90 days of life as burdensome.  The authors found that 19% of decedents had a burdensome transition, with the rate as high as 39% in some states.  They argue that the prevalence of burdensome transitions are indicative of poor quality end-of-life care.

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