Dementia palliative care in the acute psychiatric hospital: A feasibility study

Purpose: We explored the feasibility of a clinical pathway to identify hospitalized patients with dementia who would benefit from a palliative intervention. Design and Methods: Consecutive geropsychiatric admissions were screened for terminal dementia to be randomized to a palliative consultation vs usual care. Findings: A total of 43 of the 188 patients (23%) had dementia; however, dementia stages were severe but not terminal. The pathway was not feasible because of the lack of the target population in the inpatient setting for the intervention. Practice Implications: New clinical pathways are needed to identify patients with dementia who would benefit from palliative care.