Triggering palliative care referrals through the identification of poor prognosis in older patients presented to emergency departments in rural Australia.
Int J Palliat Nurs
; 29(2): 83-90, 2023 Feb 02.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36822616
ABSTRACT
Background:
Without objective screening for risk of death, the palliative care needs of older patients near the end of life may be unrecognised and unmet.Aim:
This study aimed to estimate the usefulness of the Criteria for Screening and Triaging to Appropriate aLternative care (CriSTAL) tool in determining older patients' risk of death within 3-months after initial hospital admission.Methods:
A prospective cohort study of 235 patients aged 70+ years, who presented to two rural emergency departments in two adjacent Australian states, was utilised. The 'risk of death' of each patient was screened with the CriSTAL prognostic tool. Their 3-month follow-up outcomes were assessed through telephone interviews and a clinical record review.Findings:
A CriSTAL cut-off score of more than 7 yielded a sensitivity of 80.7% and specificity of 70.81% for a 3-month risk of death. Palliative care services were only used by 31% of the deceased in their last trimester of life.Conclusion:
Prognostic tools provide a viable means of identifying individuals with a poor prognosis. Identification can trigger an earlier referral to palliative care, which will benefit the patient's wellbeing and quality of life.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Cuidados Paliativos
/
Qualidade de Vida
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Aged
/
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Oceania
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article