The OUTREACH study: oncologists of German university hospitals in rotation on a palliative care unit-evaluation of attitude and competence in palliative care and hospice.

PURPOSE: The effect of the duration of an educational rotation presented at a palliative care unit on the palliative care knowledge gain and the increase of palliative care self-efficacy expectations are unclear. METHODS: This national prospective multicenter pre-post survey conducted at twelve German University Comprehensive Cancer Centers prospectively enrolled physicians who were assigned to training rotations in specialized palliative care units for three, six, or twelve months. Palliative care knowledge [in %] and palliative care self-efficacy expectations [max. 57 points] were evaluated before and after the rotation with a validated questionnaire. RESULTS: From March 2018 to October 2020, questionnaires of 43 physicians were analyzed. Physicians participated in a 3- (n = 3), 6- (n = 21), or 12-month (n = 19) palliative care rotation after a median of 8 (0-19) professional years. The training background of rotating physicians covered a diverse spectrum of specialties; most frequently represented were medical oncology (n = 15), and anesthesiology (n = 11). After the rotation, median palliative care knowledge increased from 81.1% to 86.5% (p < .001), and median palliative care self-efficacy expectations scores increased from 38 to 50 points (p < .001). The effect of the 12-month rotation was not significantly greater than that of the 6-month rotation. CONCLUSION: An educational rotation presented in a specialized palliative care unit for at least six months significantly improves palliative care knowledge and palliative care self-efficacy expectations of physicians from various medical backgrounds.

[Cooperation between intensive care and palliative care : The status quo in German Comprehensive Cancer Centers]. / Zusammenarbeit von Intensivmedizin und Palliativmedizin : Eine Bestandsaufnahme an den deutschen onkologischen Spitzenzentren.

BACKGROUND: For intensive care patients with limited life expectancy the integration of palliative care in intensive care may be beneficial. However, little is known about the extent of this interdisciplinary collaboration. OBJECTIVES: The support given by palliative medicine in German oncological centers and used by the intensive care units should be recorded. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A descriptive survey was conducted in all of the 16 Comprehensive Cancer Centers (CCC) funded by German Cancer Aid. The questionnaires were sent to the head of department of the CCCs' specialized palliative care teams. Data were collected for the year 2016. Quantitative data were analysed to establish frequencies, given as mean and median. A qualitative section asked for trigger factors, i.e., patient characteristics triggering a palliative care consultation. Evaluation was inductively carried out by content analysis according to Mayring. RESULTS: Data from 15 of the 16 CCCs (94%) were obtained between July and August 2017. In 2016, the median of intensive care patients with palliative care consultations was 33 (minimum 0, maximum 100). The median of nine patients were transferred from an intensive care unit to a palliative care unit (minimum 1, maximum 30). Multidisciplinary ward rounds by both intensive and palliative care staff were available in two CCCs on a regular basis. Two CCCs implemented screening tools to integrate specialized palliative care into intensive care. From 23 responses concerning triggers, three categories were established, i.e., "team's decision and attitude", "patient's condition" and "desires of patients and relatives". CONCLUSIONS: Palliative care is available in German CCCs. However, the degree of integration of specialized palliative care into intensive care units is low. Screening tools are available to identify patients with complex needs and to trigger a palliative care consultation. These tools, as well as joint ward rounds of intensive and palliative care staff, can improve the quality of patient centred care.

[Integration of palliative care into intensive care : Systematic review]. / Integration der Palliativmedizin in die Intensivmedizin : Systematische Übersichtsarbeit.

BACKGROUND: One of the prime aims of intensive care is to cure patients or at least to extend life duration, sometimes to the extent of losing quality of life. Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of patients with life-limiting conditions; however, some patients need both intensive and palliative care. About 5-10% of all deaths in Germany and 20% of all deaths in the USA occur in an intensive care unit (ICU) and many of those as well as other patients may benefit from palliative care consultation. Palliative care consultations are increasingly available for intensive care patients but are still infrequently used. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the current situation of palliative patients in ICU settings: what is the impact of palliative care interventions on the quality of care of ICU patients? To what extent is palliative care support at ICUs available and to what extent is it used? Which factors trigger palliative care consultations? METHOD: We set out with a search of PubMed, Scopus and other databases in English and on a) the impact of palliative care interventions on the quality of care of ICU patients, b) the utilization of palliative care support in ICUs and c) the factors which trigger palliative care consultations. We included both quantitative and qualitative studies to reflect the views of all parties involved. To emphasize the situation in German-speaking countries we also searched Google Scholar with search terms in German and added those results to the review. Additionally, hand-searched studies in English and in German were included. RESULTS: We screened 695 abstracts and identified 18 relevant articles of which 15 were from the USA and Great Britain, 1 each was from Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Palliative care is a meaningful addition to ICU standard treatment: it can improve quality of care and helps reduce length of stay in an ICU. It is unclear if the reduced length of stay leads to economic benefits; however, the utilization of palliative care is inconsistent and infrequent as is its acceptance among ICU physicians. Trigger factors can be used to improve the integration of palliative care support in ICUs and point out patients' unmet palliative needs. DISCUSSION: Trigger factors can reduce barriers which hold back the integration of palliative care in ICUs. Early integration of palliative care can improve quality of care by offering psychological support to patients and their families and by providing collegial consultation. An ongoing prospective study is investigating the acceptance of trigger factors in the daily routine among ICU physicians in Germany.