Elements of effective palliative care models: a rapid review

Normalising and planning for death in residential care: findings from a qualitative focus group study of a specialist palliative care intervention

BACKGROUND

Improving access to palliative care for older adults living in residential care is recognised internationally as a pressing clinical need. The integration of specialist palliative care in residential care for older adults is not yet standard practice.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to understand the experience and impact of integrating a specialist palliative care model on residents, relatives and staff.

METHODS

Focus groups were held with staff (n=40) and relatives (n=17). Thematic analysis was applied to the data.

RESULTS

Three major themes were identified. The intervention led to (1) normalising death and dying in these settings, (2) timely access to a palliative care specialist who was able to prescribe anticipatory medications aiding symptom management and unnecessary hospitalisations and (3) better decision-making and planned care for residents, which meant that staff and relatives were better informed about, and prepared for, the resident's likely trajectory.

CONCLUSIONS

The intervention normalised death and dying and also underlined the important role that specialists play in providing staff education, timely access to medicines and advance care planning. The findings from our study, and the growing wealth of evidence integrating specialist palliative care in residential care for older adults, indicate a number of priorities for care providers, academics and policymakers. Further work on determining the role of primary and specialist palliative care services in residential care settings is needed to inform service delivery models.

Quality of conduct and reporting in rapid reviews: an exploration of compliance with PRISMA and AMSTAR guidelines

BACKGROUND

Rapid reviews are an accelerated evidence synthesis approach intended to meet the timely needs of decision-makers in healthcare settings. Quality of conduct and reporting has been described in the rapid review literature; however, no formal assessment has been carried out using available instruments. The objective of this study was to explore compliance with conduct and reporting guidelines in rapid reviews published or posted online during 2013 and 2014.

METHODS

We performed a comprehensive literature search for rapid reviews using multiple bibliographic databases (e.g. PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library) through December 31, 2014. Grey literature was searched thoroughly, and health technology assessment agencies were surveyed to identify additional rapid review products. Candidate reviews were assessed for inclusion using pre-specified eligibility criteria. Detailed data was collected from the included reviews on study and reporting characteristics and variables significant to rapid reviews (e.g. nomenclature, definition). We evaluated the quality of conduct and reporting of included rapid reviews using the A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklists. Compliance with each checklist item was examined, and the sum of adequately reported items was used to describe overall compliance. Rapid reviews were stratified to explore differences in compliance related to publication status. The association between compliance and time to completion or length of publication was explored through univariate regression.

RESULTS

Sixty-six rapid reviews were included. There were heterogeneous nomenclature, research questions and approaches to rapid reviews. Compliance with AMSTAR and PRISMA checklists was poor. Published rapid reviews were compliant with individual PRISMA items more often than unpublished reviews, but no difference was seen in AMSTAR item compliance overall. There was evidence of an association between length of publication and time to completion and the number of adequately reported PRISMA or AMSTAR items.

CONCLUSIONS

Transparency and inadequate reporting are significant limitations of rapid reviews. Scientific editors, authors and producing agencies should ensure that the reporting of conduct and findings is accurate and complete. Further research may be warranted to explore reporting and conduct guidelines specific to rapid reviews and how these guidelines may be applied across the spectrum of rapid review approaches.

New demands for primary health care in Brazil: palliative care

OBJECTIVE

Assess the need for incorporation of palliative care in primary health care (PHC) through the characterization of users eligible for this type of care, enrolled in a program for devices dispensing.

METHODS

Descriptive study of case series conducted in 14 health units in São Paulo (Brazil) in 2012. It was included medical records of those enrolled in a program for users with urinary and fecal incontinence, and it was applied Karnofsky Performance Scale Index (KPS) to identify the indication of palliative care.

RESULTS

141 of the 160 selected medical records had KPS information. Most cases (98.3%, 138/141) had performance below 70% and, therefore, patients were eligible for palliative care. The most frequent pathologies was related to chronic degenerative diseases (46.3%), followed by disorders related to quality of care during pregnancy and childbirth (24.38%).

CONCLUSION

It is necessary to include palliative care in PHC in order to provide comprehensive, shared and humanized care to patients who need this.

Optimizing Treatment Risk and Benefit for Elderly Patients With Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: The Right Treatment for the Right Patient

The Oncology Grand Rounds series is designed to place original reports published in theJournal into clinical context. A case presentation is followed by a description of diagnostic and management challenges, a review of the relevant literature, and a summary of the authors' suggested management approaches. The goal of this series is to help readers better understand how to apply the results of key studies, including those published inJournal of Clinical Oncology, to patients seen in their own clinical practice.A 78-year-old woman with a 40-pack-year smoking history has been referred for treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. She presented with a persistent cough and worsening dyspnea on exertion. A chest x-ray followed by a chest computed tomography scan revealed a 3-cm right upper lobe mass along with a moderate-size pleural effusion. Pleural fluid cytology was positive for adenocarcinoma. A brain magnetic resonance imaging scan was negative. A reflex molecular profile, includingKRAS,EGFR,ALK,BRAF,HER2,RET,MET, andROS, did not reveal an actionable abnormality. Her past medical history includes diabetes, hypertension, and osteopenia. Her medications include a β-blocker, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, oral antidiabetic agent, calcium, and vitamin D. The laboratory evaluation is notable for a hemoglobin of 10.8 g/dL and a creatinine clearance of 36 mL/min. The other laboratories are within normal limits. She is somewhat limited by the shortness of breath but maintains an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 1. She is independent in all of her instrumental and basic activities of daily living and denies falls. She has been referred to discuss treatment options.

Palliative Care Teams' Cost-Saving Effect Is Larger For Cancer Patients With Higher Numbers Of Comorbidities

Patients with multiple serious conditions account for a high proportion of health care spending. Such spending is projected to continue to grow substantially as a result of increased insurance eligibility, the ever-rising cost of care, the continued use of nonbeneficial high-intensity treatments at the end of life, and demographic changes. We evaluated the impact of palliative care consultation on hospital costs for adults with advanced cancer, excluding those with dementia. We found that compared to usual care, the receipt of a palliative care consultation within two days of admission was associated with 22 percent lower costs for patients with a comorbidity score of 2-3 and with 32 percent lower costs for those with a score of 4 or higher. Earlier consultation was also found to be systematically associated with a larger cost-saving effect for all subsamples defined by multimorbidity. Given ongoing workforce shortages, targeting early specialist palliative care to hospitalized patients with advanced cancer and higher numbers of serious concurrent conditions could improve care while complementing strategies to curb the growth of health spending.

The Business Case for Palliative Care: Translating Research Into Program Development in the U.S

Specialist palliative care (PC) often embraces a "less is more" philosophy that runs counter to the revenue-centric nature of most health care financing in the U.S. A special business case is needed in which the financial benefits for organizations such as hospitals and payers are aligned with the demonstrable clinical benefits for patients. Based on published studies and our work with PC programs over the past 15 years, we identified 10 principles that together form a business model for specialist PC. These principles are relatively well established for inpatient PC but are only now emerging for community-based PC. Three developments that are key for the latter are the increasing penalties from payers for overutilization of hospital stays, the variety of alternative payment models such as accountable care organizations, which foster a population health management perspective, and payer-provider partnerships that allow for greater access to and funding of community-based PC.

Measuring horizontal integration among health care providers in the community: an examination of a collaborative process within a palliative care network

In many countries formal or informal palliative care networks (PCNs) have evolved to better integrate community-based services for individuals with a life-limiting illness. We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a customized tool to determine the perceptions of the processes of palliative care delivery reflective of horizontal integration from the perspective of nurses, physicians and allied health professionals working in a PCN, as well as to assess the utility of this tool. The process elements examined were part of a conceptual framework for evaluating integration of a system of care and centred on interprofessional collaboration. We used the Index of Interdisciplinary Collaboration (IIC) as a basis of measurement. The 86 respondents (85% response rate) placed high value on working collaboratively and most reported being part of an interprofessional team. The survey tool showed utility in identifying strengths and gaps in integration across the network and in detecting variability in some factors according to respondent agency affiliation and profession. Specifically, support for interprofessional communication and evaluative activities were viewed as insufficient. Impediments to these aspects of horizontal integration may be reflective of workload constraints, differences in agency operations or an absence of key structural features.