Development and Testing of the End-of-Life Transfer Tool

This study evaluated a tool to identify patients who are imminently dying to prevent the transfer of these patients during the dying process. The End-of-Life Transfer Tool was developed by the investigators based on themes from the literature and experiences of palliative care experts. The final checklist contained 6 objective assessment elements. Thirty patients seen by the palliative care team during a 10-month period were included in the study conducted in a Midwestern teaching hospital. An inversely, statistically significant correlation was found on the total score as assessed by the palliative care nurses and the actual time of death, indicating a relationship between the score on the tool and the time to death. This pilot work serves as the beginning research toward the development of a brief tool to support the decision-making of the bedside nurse.