RT Journal
A1 Berger GN, O’Riordan DL, Kerr K, Pantilat SZ
T1 PRevalence and characteristics of outpatient palliative care services in california
JF Archives of Internal Medicine
JO Archives of Internal Medicine
YR 2011
FD December 12
VO 171
IS 22
SP 2057
OP 2059
DO 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.469
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2011.469
AB 
Outpatient palliative care services (PCSs) offer the opportunity to intervene earlier in the disease trajectory and result in improved patient outcomes.1- 2 Outpatient PCSs can provide improved continuity of care, reduce unnecessary rehospitalizations, and address the needs of patients and caregivers.3 While the potential benefits of outpatient PCSs are increasingly recognized, there is a paucity of information regarding the structure of outpatient PCSs,4 and, to our knowledge, there are no studies reporting the prevalence and characteristics of existing services. Therefore, the aim of this research is to describe the prevalence and characteristics of outpatient PCSs associated with California hospitals to enhance our understanding of how outpatient PCSs are delivered and inform their growth and development.