Increased number of deaths within 24 h of admission during a period of social restriction related to the COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective service evaluation in a metropolitan palliative care unit.

Abstract

COVID-19 has led to implementation of wide-ranging social restriction measures with consequent impact on health care utilisation in many domains. There is little published data on the experience of palliative care services catering to a population with low case numbers of COVID-19. This study aimed to consider the impact of COVID-19 on utilisation of inpatient palliative care in the context of low community transmission, and low numbers of cases in hospital. A retrospective service evaluation examining differences in number of admissions, diagnoses, number of deaths and time from admission to death, across three discrete 8-week time periods spanning the early COVID-19 pandemic. All admissions (<i>n</i> = 194) to a metropolitan tertiary hospital inpatient palliative care unit in Melbourne during the study period. An initial 16.9% fall in admissions was followed by a return to baseline admission numbers, with a 46.7% increase in number of deaths compared to baseline. The number of deaths within 24 h rose from 10.8% to 37.3% (<i>p</i> < 0.01). The number of patients with non-malignant diagnoses increased from 32.4% to 52%, and those with non-malignant diagnoses were more likely to die rapidly (<i>p</i> < 0.01). There were no patients with COVID-19 infection. Increased numbers of deaths within 24 h of admission occurred on the palliative care unit despite low COVID-19 case numbers in the wider community, and in the setting of widespread social restriction measures. More research is needed examining the health-related consequences of such restrictions for individuals not infected with COVID-19.