A NEW study presented at the CHEST Annual Meeting 2024, in Boston, October 6 to 9 2024, highlighted the success of a new clinic aimed at improving palliative care access for patients with advanced lung disease (ALD), especially those from underserved populations.
The Breathlessness Clinic (BC) is combined pulmonary and palliative care (PC) subspecialty clinic, was evaluated for its ability to enhance care for patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). The findings indicate the clinic significantly improves patient diversity and access to essential palliative services, such as symptom management and advance care planning (ACP), compared to traditional ILD clinics.
Researchers analyzed data from 102 patients seen at the BC and 546 patients seen at a general ILD clinic. The results were striking: the BC treated a more diverse group of patients, with 26.5% identifying as Black/African American, compared to just 12.6% at the ILD clinic. Moreover, significantly more BC patients had completed advanced directives or medical orders for life-sustaining treatment compared to those in the ILD clinic (49.3% vs. 4.2%).
“Our findings are critical,” said Meghan Price, lead researcher. “Race and ethnicity can influence perceptions of palliative care and access to resources. This study shows the value of integrating palliative care into pulmonary clinics to serve diverse populations more effectively.”
The study suggests that the Breathlessness Clinic model could be a blueprint for other healthcare institutions aiming to reduce healthcare disparities and improve outcomes for patients with advanced lung diseases.
Reference: Price M et al. The breathlessness clinic: a multidisciplinary subspeciality palliative care clinic serving traditionally underserved patient populations. CHEST. 2024;166(4):A5060-A5061.
Anaya Malik | AMJ
