Required Criteria for Automatic Referral to Palliative Care Services

Tap each section to view the criteria. Designed for quick reading on mobile.

🏥 Hospital Utilization criteria
  • Two or more ICU admissions within the same hospitalization
  • For noncancerous disease: more than 3 hospitalizations within past 3 months related to disease exacerbation
  • Pre‑existing palliative care patient
  • Uncontrolled refractory symptoms (dyspnea, agitation, pain)
  • Patient/family concern about course of disease or decision‑making; uncertainty regarding non‑beneficial treatment options (e.g., pressors or intubation) or considering changes in goals of care
  • DNR/DNI order conflicts between patient/family and medical team
🎗️ Cancer
  • Patient distress; distress thermometer score ≥ 7
  • Life expectancy < 6 months (predictive indicators: spinal cord compression, brain metastasis, malignant pleural effusions, superior vena cava syndrome, hypercalcemia)
❤️ Heart Diseases
  • Stage III or IV heart failure despite optimal medical management
  • LVAD patient & recurrent infections
  • Dyspnea with minimal to moderate exertion
🌬️ Advanced Pulmonary Disease (Advanced COPD, pulmonary fibrosis)
  • Advanced lung disease with progressive functional decline and symptom burden
  • Frequent exacerbations or hospitalizations despite optimal therapy
🧠 Dementia
  • Totally dependent in bed on all ADLs
  • Impaired swallowing/feeding problems
  • Recurrent infections (more than 3 within last 3–6 months)
🧪 Liver Disease
  • Hepatic encephalopathy
🧠 Advanced Neurologic Diseases
  • Significant functional decline in stroke, Parkinson’s disease, or traumatic brain injury (TBI)
🦠 COVID
  • Patient age ≥ 75 years
  • Presence of comorbidities (heart disease, diabetes, chronic lung disease, uncontrolled hypertension and/or cancer, high creatinine level or rising)
  • On invasive ventilatory support > 2 weeks without clinical or biological improvement and no clear documented goals of care
  • Poor performance status (bedridden, dementia, unable to perform self‑care)
🧬 Pediatric oncology patients
  • Stage 4 and high‑risk neuroblastoma
  • Any malignancy with poor functional status; Lansky scale < 40%
👶 Pediatric non‑oncology patients
  • Neurological degenerative diseases, cerebral palsy with recurrent admissions
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