Palliative Care Emergencies in the Home: An Approach to Guide Home Care

Clinical changes in patients receiving palliative and end-of-life care at home can happen suddenly and may result in unplanned emergency department visits. They can also have a huge impact on a patient’s quality of life and be very distressing to caregivers. For providers of home-based palliative care, it is important to recognize which patients are at risk and know how to make a plan in case an emergency does happen in order to best support the patient, their caregiver and provide care that is appropriate to their wishes and needs.

After completing this learning module, learners will be able to

1. Describe a palliative care emergency and the most common types of palliative care emergencies.

2. Identify important considerations when developing plans for palliative care emergencies in the home.

3. Recognize the importance of patients’ (and caregivers’) values and wishes in the planning for emergencies.