Development of a tool for palliative care needs assessment and intervention: mixed methods research at a Swiss tertiary oncology clinic

BACKGROUND

Palliative care interventions improve quality-of-life for advanced cancer patients and their caregivers. The frequency and quality of service provision could be improved by a clinical tool that helps oncology professionals to assess unmet needs for palliative care interventions and to structure the interventions delivered. This paper aims to answer the following research question: what do oncology professionals and cancer patients view as important elements in a clinical tool for assessing unmet palliative care needs? Based on the feedback from professionals and patients, we developed and refined an intervention-focused clinical tool for use in cancer care.

METHODS

This study used a prospective convergent mixed methods design and was carried out at a single tertiary hospital in Switzerland. Healthcare professionals participated in focus groups (n=29) and a Delphi survey (n=73). Patients receiving palliative care were interviewed (n=17). Purposive sampling was used to achieve maximal variation in participant response. Inductive content analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze focus group discussions, open-ended survey questions and interview data. Descriptive statistics were used for analyzing quantitative survey items and interviewee characteristics.

RESULTS

Focus groups and Delphi surveys showed that seven key palliative care interventions were important to oncology professionals. They also valued a tool that could be used by doctors, nurses, or other professionals. Participants did not agree about the best timepoint for assessment. Two versions of a pilot clinical tool were tested in patient interviews. Interviews highlighted the divergent patient needs that must be accommodated in clinical practice. Patients provided confirmation that a clinical tool would be helpful to them.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper reports on research carried out to understand what elements are most important in a tool that helps oncology professionals to identify patients' unmet needs and provide tailored palliative care interventions. This study demonstrated that professionals and patients alike are interested in a clinical tool. Responses from oncology healthcare professionals helped to identify relevant palliative care interventions, and patients provided constructive input used in designing a tool for use in clinical interactions.