Q&A: What is the ID clinician’s role in end-of-life care?

Q&A: What is the ID clinician’s role in end-of-life care? 
Healio; by Caitlyn Stulpin; 6/27/24 
Patients receiving infectious diseases (ID) consultation over the past decade were increasingly complex, generally sicker and more likely to die soon after a consultation was performed, according to a study. Researchers said that the rate of infectious diseases (ID) consultation relative to hospital admissions doubled during that time, suggesting that ID physicians are more often being faced with the challenge of caring for complex patients. Because of this, Alison G.C. Smith, MD, MSC, and Jason E. Stout, MD, MHS, and colleagues aimed to assess the role of these physicians when it came to end-of-life care, leading them to conduct a retrospective cohort study of all patients with an ID consult at the Duke University Health System between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 31, 2023.

Key takeaways:

• Within the Duke University Health System, the number of ID consults increased by 94% over the last decade. 
• Researchers said ID physicians are now providing care for more complex and sicker patients.