Dataset Information

Palliative care need and management in the acute hospital setting: a census of one New Zealand Hospital.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Improving palliative care management in acute hospital settings has been identified as a priority internationally. The aim of this study was to establish the proportion of inpatients within one acute hospital in New Zealand who meet prognostic criteria for palliative care need and explore key aspects of their management.

Methods

A prospective survey of adult hospital inpatients (n = 501) was undertaken. Case notes were examined for evidence that the patient might be in their last year of life according to Gold Standards Framework (GSF) prognostic indicator criteria. For patients who met GSF criteria, clinical and socio-demographic information were recorded.

Results

Ninety-nine inpatients met GSF criteria, representing 19.8% of the total census population. The patients' average age was 70 years; 47% had a primary diagnosis of cancer. Two thirds had died within 6 months of their admission. Seventy-eight of the 99 cases demonstrated evidence that a palliative approach to care had been adopted; however documentation of discussion about goals of care was very limited and only one patient had evidence of an advance care plan.

Conclusion

One fifth of hospital inpatients met criteria for palliative care need, the majority of whom were aged >70 years. Whilst over three quarters were concluded to be receiving care in line with a palliative care approach, very little documented evidence of discussion with patients and families regarding end of life issues was evident. Future research needs to explore how best to support 'generalist' palliative care providers in initiating, and appropriately recording, such discussions.

SUBMITTER: Gott M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3636052 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Palliative care need and management in the acute hospital setting: a census of one New Zealand Hospital.

Gott Merryn M Frey Rosemary R Raphael Deborah D O'Callaghan Anne A Robinson Jackie J Boyd Michal M

BMC palliative care 20130328

<h4>Background</h4>Improving palliative care management in acute hospital settings has been identified as a priority internationally. The aim of this study was to establish the proportion of inpatients within one acute hospital in New Zealand who meet prognostic criteria for palliative care need and explore key aspects of their management.<h4>Methods</h4>A prospective survey of adult hospital inpatients (n = 501) was undertaken. Case notes were examined for evidence that the patient might be in ...[more]

PMID: 23537092

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Project description:ObjectiveTo estimate future palliative care need and complexity of need in Scotland, and to identify priorities for future service delivery.DesignWe estimated the prevalence of palliative care need by analysing the proportion of deaths from defined chronic progressive illnesses. We described linear projections up to 2040 using national death registry data and official mortality forecasts. An expert consultation and subsequent online consensus survey generated recommendations on meeting future palliative care need.SettingScotland, population of 5.4 million.ParticipantsAll decedents in Scotland over 11 years (2007 to 2017). The consultation had 34 participants; 24 completed the consensus survey.Primary and secondary outcomesEstimates of past and future palliative care need in Scotland from 2007 up to 2040. Multimorbidity was operationalised as two or more registered causes of death from different disease groups (cancer, organ failure, dementia, other). Consultation and survey data were analysed descriptively.ResultsWe project that by 2040, the number of people requiring palliative care will increase by at least 14%; and by 20% if we factor in multimorbidity. The number of people dying from multiple diseases associated with different disease groups is projected to increase from 27% of all deaths in 2017 to 43% by 2040. To address increased need and complexity, experts prioritised sustained investment in a national digital platform, roll-out of integrated electronic health and social care records; and approaches that remain person-centred.ConclusionsBy 2040 more people in Scotland are projected to die with palliative care needs, and the complexity of need will increase markedly. Service delivery models must adapt to serve growing demand and complexity associated with dying from multiple diseases from different disease groups. We need sustained investment in secure, accessible, integrated and person-centred health and social care digital systems, to improve care coordination and optimise palliative care for people across care settings.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Despite the great advances in the concept of palliative care (PC) and its benefits, its application seems to be delayed, leaving unfulfilled the many needs of patients and family members. One way to overcome this difficulty could be to develop a new training programme by palliative care specialists to improve PC primary skills in healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the training's impact on trainees within a hospital setting using Kirkpatrick's and Moore's models. METHODS:We adopted a mixed-method evaluation with concurrent triangulation. The evaluation followed the first three steps of Kirkpatrick's and Moore's models and included a pre- and post-training evaluation through self-administered questionnaires and focus groups. We used the McNemar statistical test. RESULTS:The results highlighted the significant amount of knowledge acquired by the hospital professionals after training, in terms of increasing their knowledge of palliative care and in terms of the change in meaning that they attributed to phenomena related to chronicity and incurability, which they encounter daily in their professional practice. In both quantitative and qualitative research, the results, in synthesis, highlight: (i) the development of a new concept of palliative care, centred on the response to the holistic needs of people; (ii) that palliative care can also be extended to non-oncological patients in advanced illness stages (our training was directed to Geriatrics and Nephrology/Dialysis professionals); (iii) the empowerment and the increase in self-esteem that healthcare professionals gained, from learning about the logistical and structural organization of palliative care, to activate and implement PC; (iv) the need to share personal aspects of their professional life (this result emerges only in qualitative research); (v) the appreciation of cooperation and the joining of multiple competences towards a synergistic approach and enhanced outcomes. CONCLUSION:It is necessary to further develop rigorous research on training evaluation, at the most complex orders of the Kirkpatrick and Moore models, to measure primary PC skills in health care professionals. This will develop the effectiveness of the integration of I- and II-level palliative care competencies in hospitals and improve outcomes of patients' and families' quality of life.

Project description:BackgroundDignity is a basic principle of palliative care and is intrinsic in the daily practice of professionals assisting individuals with incurable diseases. Dignity Therapy (DT) is a short-term intervention aimed at improving the sense of purpose, meaning and self-worth and at reducing the existential distress of patients facing advanced illness. Few studies have examined how DT works in countries of non-Anglo Saxon culture and in different real-life settings. Moreover, most studies do not provide detailed information on how DT is conducted, limiting a reliable assessment of DT protocol application and of its evaluation procedure. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a nurse-led DT intervention in advanced cancer patients receiving palliative care.MethodThis is a mixed-method study using before and after evaluation and semistructured interviews. Cancer patients referred to a hospital palliative care unit were recruited and provided with DT. The duration of sessions, and timeframes concerning each step of the study, were recorded, and descriptive statistical analyses were performed. The patients' dignity-related distress and feedback toward the intervention were assessed through the Patient Dignity Inventory and the Dignity Therapy Patient Feedback Questionnaire, respectively. Three nurses were interviewed on their experience in delivering the intervention, and the data were analyzed qualitatively.ResultsA total of 37/50 patients were enrolled (74.0%), of whom 28 (75.7%) completed the assessment. In 76.7% of cases, patients completed the intervention in the time limit scheduled in the study. No statistically significant reduction in the Patient Dignity Inventory scores was observed at the end of the intervention; most patients found DT to be helpful and satisfactory. Building opportunities for personal growth and providing holistic care emerged among the facilitators to DT implementation. Nurses also highlighted too great of a time commitment and a difficult collaboration with ward colleagues among the barriers.ConclusionsOur findings strongly support the acceptability, but only partially support the feasibility, of nurse-led DT in advanced cancer patients in a hospital setting. Further research is needed on how to transfer the potential benefits of DT into clinical practice.Trial registrationRetrospectively registered on ClinicalTrial.gov NCT04738305 .

Dataset Information

Palliative care need and management in the acute hospital setting: a census of one New Zealand Hospital.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Palliative care need and management in the acute hospital setting: a census of one New Zealand Hospital.

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