Impact of palliative care consultation on neonatal end-of-life care utilization.

Authors

Matthew Lin, Olivia Bosworth, Sadaf Kazmi, Taylor Kiernan, Clara Horner, Jordan Nelson, Kristyn Pierce, Deborah Dore, Daniel Eison, Christine Zawistowski

Published in

Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association. Jul 14, 2026. Epub Jul 14, 2026.

Abstract

Research evaluating the impact of pediatric palliative care (PPC) consultation on care utilization in the NICU is limited.
Describe the impact of PPC on care utilization during admission and end-of-life (EOL).
Retrospective review of infants who died in a level IV NICU (2014-2024). Mann-Whitney U, Chi-square, and Fisher's exact tests and regression analysis were used to evaluate associations between PPC and medical intensity.
65/127 (51.2%) infants received PPC. Infants with PPC had significantly longer lengths of stay (LOS), more subspecialty consultations, more do-not-resuscitate orders (DNR), fewer codes, and differences in mode of death. In regression analyses, PPC predicted higher odds of DNR orders, fewer EOL ICU/surgical interventions and codes at EOL.
PPC is associated with longer LOS and more subspecialists throughout admission but lower medical intensity at EOL. Different measures of care utilization may reflect dynamic interactions between PPC consultants and medically complex infants over time.

PMID:
42448917
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Jul 2026.

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