Scholars@Duke
Cara L. McDermott

Cara L. McDermott

Assistant Professor in Medicine
Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care

Selected Publications

Criteria for Enrollment of Patients With COPD in Palliative Care Trials: A Systematic Review.

Journal Article J Pain Symptom Manage · June 2024 CONTEXT: Use of palliative care interventions in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has increased in recent years and inclusion criteria used to identify patients with COPD appropriate for palliative care vary widely. We evaluated the inclusion c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Factors Associated With Hospital Admission in the Last Month: A Retrospective Single Center Analysis.

Journal Article J Pain Symptom Manage · June 2024 CONTEXT: Driven by concerns about care quality, patient experience, and national metrics, health systems are increasingly focusing on identifying risk factors for patients who are hospitalized in the last month of life. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient facto ... Full text Link to item Cite

Risk Assessment and Prevention of Falls in Older Community-Dwelling Adults: A Review.

Journal Article JAMA · April 23, 2024 IMPORTANCE: Falls are reported by more than 14 million US adults aged 65 years or older annually and can result in substantial morbidity, mortality, and health care expenditures. OBSERVATIONS: Falls result from age-related physiologic changes compounded by ... Full text Link to item Cite

Targets and study design for symptom-focused trials aimed at patients with cirrhosis: An expert consensus.

Journal Article Hepatology communications · June 2023 BackgroundSymptom-focused trials are critically needed for patients with cirrhosis. However, this work would benefit from standard processes and validated measures.MethodsA writing group was formed among hepatologists, nurses, palliative ... Full text Open Access Cite

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Place of Death Among Medicaid and Commercially Insured Patients With Cancer in Washington State.

Journal Article J Clin Oncol · March 10, 2023 PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions in health care delivery might have affected end-of-life care in patients with cancer. We examined changes in place of death and hospice support for Medicaid and commercially insured patients during the pan ... Full text Link to item Cite

Identification of cancer chemotherapy regimens and patient cohorts in administrative claims: challenges, opportunities, and a proposed algorithm.

Journal Article J Med Econ · 2023 BACKGROUND: Real-world evidence is a valuable source of information in healthcare. This study describes the challenges and successes during algorithm development to identify cancer cohorts and multi-agent chemotherapy regimens from claims data to perform a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Polypharmacy, chemotherapy receipt, and medication-related out-of-pocket costs at end of life among commercially insured adults with advanced cancer.

Journal Article J Oncol Pharm Pract · June 2022 BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy raises the risk of drug-drug interactions and adverse events among patients with cancer. Most polypharmacy research has focused on adults age 65 or older enrolled in Medicare insurance. To better inform pharmacy practice and cancer ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Association of Advance Care Planning Documentation and End-of-Life Healthcare Use Among Patients With Multimorbidity.

Journal Article Am J Hosp Palliat Care · August 2021 PURPOSE: Multimorbidity is associated with increased intensity of end-of-life healthcare. This association has been examined by number but not type of conditions. Our purpose was to understand how intensity of care is influenced by multimorbidity within sp ... Full text Link to item Cite

Patient Characteristics and Utilization Patterns of Short-Acting Recombinant Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) Biosimilars Compared to Their Reference Product.

Journal Article Drugs Real World Outcomes · June 2021 BACKGROUND: Data on short-acting recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) biosimilar utilization from claims data in the USA are limited. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient baseline characteristics and utilization patterns for short-acting G-C ... Full text Link to item Cite

Utilization patterns and characteristics of users of biologic anti-inflammatory agents in a large, US commercially insured population.

Journal Article Pharmacol Res Perspect · February 2021 We report utilization patterns and characteristics of patients treated with biologic anti-inflammatory agents in a large commercially insured patient population in the United States. We identified adult (age ≥18 years) patients receiving biologic anti-infl ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression and Health Care Utilization at End of Life Among Older Adults With Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Journal Article J Pain Symptom Manage · November 2018 CONTEXT: Limited data exist regarding how depression diagnosed at different times relative to a cancer diagnosis may affect healthcare utilization at end of life (EOL). OBJECTIVES: To assess the relationship between depression and health care utilization a ... Full text Link to item Cite