Workforce Planning for Community-Based Palliative Care Specialist Teams Using Operations Research

Comparing the Need and Development of Pediatric Palliative Care in Mexico: A Geographical Analysis

CONTEXT

The Global Atlas of Palliative Care (GAPC) ranked Mexico's palliative care services at a preliminary integration stage into mainstream healthcare services. However, this data does not reflect pediatric palliative care (PPC) development.

OBJECTIVES

To analyze the current need and level of development of PPC within Mexico.

METHODS

PPC need was estimated using causes of death associated with serious health-related suffering from national mortality data from the General Directorate of Health Information. The level of development was measured through six indicators involving access to PPC services and opioids, then classified using the GAPC development categories adapted to regional territories based on available data.

RESULTS

In 2021, 37,444 children died in Mexico. Of those, 10,677 (28.29%) died from conditions with serious health-related suffering, averaging a need for PPC of 25/100,000 children. Out of Mexico's 32 states, two (6.2%) had no PPC activity (category 1), twenty (62.6%) were in a capacity-building phase (category 2), eight (25%) had isolated PPC provision (category 3a), while two (6.2%) had generalized PPC provision (category 3b). No state had early (category 4a) or advanced PPC integration (category 4b). Overall, Mexico was classified as category 2.

CONCLUSIONS

PPC services are distributed unevenly across the country, leading to inequitable access to care and an inability to meet the needs of patients and families. There is a disparity between the level of development of adult palliative care services and the underdevelopment of PPC in Mexico. This information can help stakeholders guide the development of PPC where it is needed most.

Use of the supportive and palliative care indicators tool (SPICT™) for end-of-life discussions: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

In order to mitigate the distress associated with life limiting conditions it is essential for all health professionals not just palliative care specialists to identify people with deteriorating health and unmet palliative care needs and to plan care. The SPICT™ tool was designed to assist with this.

AIM

The aim was to examine the impact of the SPICT™ on advance care planning conversations and the extent of its use in advance care planning for adults with chronic life-limiting illness.

METHODS

In this scoping review records published between 2010 and 2024 reporting the use of the SPICT™, were included unless the study aim was to evaluate the tool for prognostication purposes. Databases searched were EBSCO Medline, PubMed, EBSCO CINAHL, APA Psych Info, ProQuest One Theses and Dissertations Global.

RESULTS

From the search results 26 records were reviewed, including two systematic review, two theses and 22 primary research studies. Much of the research was derived from primary care settings. There was evidence that the SPICT™ assists conversations about advance care planning specifically discussion and documentation of advance care directives, resuscitation plans and preferred place of death. The SPICT™ is available in at least eight languages (many versions have been validated) and used in many countries.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of the SPICT™ appears to assist advance care planning. It has yet to be widely used in acute care settings and has had limited use in countries beyond Europe. There is a need for further research to validate the tool in different languages.

Methods for health workforce projection model: systematic review and recommended good practice reporting guideline

BACKGROUND

Health workforce projection models are integral components of a robust healthcare system. This research aims to review recent advancements in methodology and approaches for health workforce projection models and proposes a set of good practice reporting guidelines.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review by searching medical and social science databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and EconLit, covering the period from 2010 to 2023. The inclusion criteria encompassed studies projecting the demand for and supply of the health workforce. PROSPERO registration: CRD 42023407858.

RESULTS

Our review identified 40 relevant studies, including 39 single countries analysis (in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lesotho, Malawi, New Zealand, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, UK, United States), and one multiple country analysis (in 32 OECD countries). Recent studies have increasingly embraced a complex systems approach in health workforce modelling, incorporating demand, supply, and demand-supply gap analyses. The review identified at least eight distinct types of health workforce projection models commonly used in recent literature: population-to-provider ratio models (n = 7), utilization models (n = 10), needs-based models (n = 25), skill-mixed models (n = 5), stock-and-flow models (n = 40), agent-based simulation models (n = 3), system dynamic models (n = 7), and budgetary models (n = 5). Each model has unique assumptions, strengths, and limitations, with practitioners often combining these models. Furthermore, we found seven statistical approaches used in health workforce projection models: arithmetic calculation, optimization, time-series analysis, econometrics regression modelling, microsimulation, cohort-based simulation, and feedback causal loop analysis. Workforce projection often relies on imperfect data with limited granularity at the local level. Existing studies lack standardization in reporting their methods. In response, we propose a good practice reporting guideline for health workforce projection models designed to accommodate various model types, emerging methodologies, and increased utilization of advanced statistical techniques to address uncertainties and data requirements.

CONCLUSIONS

This study underscores the significance of dynamic, multi-professional, team-based, refined demand, supply, and budget impact analyses supported by robust health workforce data intelligence. The suggested best-practice reporting guidelines aim to assist researchers who publish health workforce studies in peer-reviewed journals. Nevertheless, it is expected that these reporting standards will prove valuable for analysts when designing their own analysis, encouraging a more comprehensive and transparent approach to health workforce projection modelling.

Are We Consulting, Sharing Care, or Taking Over? A Conceptual Framework

Background

Primary- and specialist-level palliative care services are needed. They should work collaboratively and synergistically. Although several service models have been described, these remain open to different interpretations and deployment.

Aim

This article describes a conceptual framework, the Consultation-Shared Care-Takeover (C-S-T) Framework, its evolution and its applications.

Design

An iterative process informed the development of the Framework. This included a symposium, literature searches, results from three studies, and real-life applications.

Results

The C-S-T Framework represents a spectrum anchored by the Consultation model at one end, the Takeover model at the other end, and the Shared Care model in the center. Indicators, divided into five domains, help differentiate one model from the other. The domains are (1) Scope (What aspects of care are addressed by the palliative care clinician?); (2) Prescriber (Who prescribes the treatments?); (3) Communication (What communication occurs between the palliative care clinician and the patient's attending clinician?); (4) Follow-up (Who provides the follow-up visits and what is their frequency?); and (5) Most responsible practitioner (MRP) (Who is identified as MRP?). Each model demonstrates strengths, limitations, uses, and roles.

Conclusions

The C-S-T Framework can be used to better describe, understand, assess, and monitor models being used by specialist palliative care teams in their interactions with primary care providers and other specialist services. Large studies are needed to test the application of the Framework on a broader scale in health care systems.

Palliative care need in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and human resource requirements for effective response

Integration of palliative care into health care systems is considered an ethical responsibility, yet no country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EaMReg) has achieved integration. Data on palliative care need and cost are crucial forEaMReg health care planners and implementers in the region. Using data from the Lancet Commission on Palliative Care and Pain Relief, we estimated the number of people in each EaMReg country who needed palliative care in 2015 and their degree of access. In three countries, we estimated the number of days during which an encounter for palliative care was needed at each level of the health care system. This enabled calculation of the number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) of clinical and non-clinical staff members needed at each level to administer the essential package of palliative care recommended by WHO. In 2015, 3.2 million people in the EaMReg needed palliative care, yet most lacked access to it. The most common types of suffering were pain, fatigue, weakness, anxiety or worry, and depressed mood. To provide safe, effective palliative care at all levels of health care systems, between 5.4 and 11.1 FTEs of trained and supervised community health workers per 100,000 population would be needed in addition to 1.0-1.9 FTEs of doctors, 2.2-4.3 FTEs of nurses, and 1.4-2.9 FTEs of social workers. Data from our study enables design of palliative care services to meet the specific needs of each EaMReg country and to calculate the cost or cost savings.

Strategic workforce planning in health and social care - an international perspective: A scoping review

Effective strategic workforce planning for integrated and co-ordinated health and social care is essential if future services are to be resourced such that skill mix, clinical practice and productivity meet population health and social care needs in timely, safe and accessible ways globally. This review presents international literature to illustrate how strategic workforce planning in health and social care has been undertaken around the world with examples of planning frameworks, models and modelling approaches. The databases Business Source Premier, CINAHL, Embase, Health Management Information Consortium, Medline and Scopus were searched for full texts, from 2005 to 2022, detailing empirical research, models or methodologies to explain how strategic workforce planning (with at least a one-year horizon) in health and/or social care has been undertaken, yielding ultimately 101 included references. The supply/demand of a differentiated medical workforce was discussed in 25 references. Nursing and midwifery were characterised as undifferentiated labour, requiring urgent growth to meet demand. Unregistered workers were poorly represented as was the social care workforce. One reference considered planning for health and social care workers. Workforce modelling was illustrated in 66 references with predilection for quantifiable projections. Increasingly needs-based approaches were called for to better consider demography and epidemiological impacts. This review's findings advocate for whole-system needs-based approaches that consider the ecology of a co-produced health and social care workforce.

Family Physicians with Certificates of Added Competence in Palliative Care Contribute to Comprehensive Care in Their Communities: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Background

Since 2015, the College of Family Physicians of Canada has certified enhanced skills in palliative care (PC) with a certificate of added competence.

Aim

This study aimed to describe the ways family physicians with enhanced skills in PC contribute within their communities, the factors that influence ways of practicing, and the perceived impacts.

Design

Secondary analysis of data from a multiple case study on the role and impacts of family physicians with enhanced skills (i.e., PC physicians) was undertaken.

Setting/Participants

Interviews were conducted in 2018 to 2019 with PC and generalist family physicians and residents associated with six family medicine practice cases across Canada. An unconstrained qualitative content analysis was performed.

Results

Twenty-one participants (nine PC physicians, five generalist family physicians, two residents, and five physicians with enhanced skills in other domains) contributed data. PC physicians worked by enhancing their own family practice or as focused PC physicians. Roles included collaborating with other physicians through consultations, comanaging patients (shared care), or assuming care of the patient as the main provider (takeover). PC physicians increased capacity among their colleagues, with some patient care and education activities not being remunerated. Funding models and other structures were perceived as incentivizing the takeover model.

Conclusion

Family physicians with enhanced skills in PC contribute to comprehensive care through the end of life. Remuneration should support system capacity and relationships that enable family physicians to provide primary PC especially outside the takeover model.