Advance Care Planning for Emergency Department Patients with COVID-19 Infection: An Assessment of a Physician Training Program

Objective Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has heightened the importance of advance care planning (ACP), particularly in the emergency department (ED). The objective of this study was to determine the effect of an educational program for emergency physicians on ACP conversations in the ED during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design This was an observational pre-/post-interventional study. Setting This study was conducted at a Southeastern U.S. academic ED. Participants 143 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection in the 2 weeks up to and including the ED encounter of interest (between March 26 and May 25, 2020) were included. Interventions The primary intervention was an ACP training toolkit with three components: (1) an evidence-based guide to COVID-19 risk stratification, (2) education on language to initiate ACP conversations, and (3) modification of the electronic health record (EHR) to facilitate ACP documentation. Palliative care physicians also delivered a 60-minute ACP educational session for emergency medicine physicians. Outcome measures The primary outcome was a composite of ACP activities including: (1) identification of a healthcare decision-maker (HCDM), (2) an order for a code status, or (3) a documented goals of care conversation. Results There was a 25.4% (95% CI: 7.0-43.9) increase in the composite outcome of ED-based ACP. After adjustment for patient demographics and triage score, there was a non-statistically significant increase in ACP activity (OR = 2.71, 95% CI: 0.93-8.64; P = .08). Conclusion A rapid and simple physician-facing educational intervention demonstrated a trend, though lacking in statistical significance, towards increased ED-based ACP activities for patients with COVID-19.