Palliative care in Emergency Department

Due to the increasing number of terminally ill patients in emergency departments (EDs), there is a need to provide them with appropriate care, treat end of life symptoms and support in obtaining targeted palliative care. A review of scientific articles available in global databases such as Google Scholar, Medline/Pubmed and Cochrane Library from 2014–2023 was performed. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses and case series were considered. 24 articles were selected, and their content critically analyzed. Most of them indicate the need for palliative intervention initiated in the emergency department as an element that can both change the trajectory of life of patients and improve its quality. Global scientific trends indicate the need to implement elements of palliative care in hospital emergency departments in order to improve the quality of care for patients with terminal diseases. Palliative intervention is mentioned as improving the quality of life without shortening it. Further research on this topic is necessary, especially in the Polish population.