Low-value Care

Comparison of Palliative Care Delivery in the Last Year of Life Between Adults With Terminal Noncancer Illness or Cancer

Abstract: This cohort study examines the delivery of palliative care among adults in their last year of life who died of terminal noncancer illness compared with those who died of cancer.

Publication: JAMA

Date Published: March 4, 2021

Author(s): Kieran L. Quinn, MD, MSc; Peter Wegier, PhD; Therese A. Stukel, PhD; Anjie Huang, MSc; Chaim M. Bell, MD, PhD; and Peter Tanuseputro, MD, MHSc

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To eliminate medication overload, serious cultural, educational, and policy changes are needed. This action plan offers recommendations for policymakers, health care institutions, clinicians, and patients across five key categories to reduce harm from multiple medication use. Suggested Citation: Eliminating medication overload: A national action plan. Working Group on Medication Overload. Brookline, MA: The Lown Institute, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46241/LI.YLBW4885

Pharmaceutical marketing is a significant factor in the growing public health crisis of medication overload, which puts millions of older adults at risk of preventable harm and premature death. This issue brief provides recommendations to reduce pharmaceutical industry influence by limiting pharma sales rep visits to clinicians and direct-to-consumer advertising.

This issue brief provides recommendations for clinical practice guidelines and electronic health records that would give clinicians the information they need to appropriately prescribe and deprescribe.