Developing a computerised search to help UK General Practices identify more patients for palliative care planning: a feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 600,000 people die in the UK annually, usually after months or years of increasing debility. Many patients with advanced conditions are not identified for appropriate support before they die because they are not seen as having "palliative" care needs. General practice information technology systems can improve care by identifying patients with deteriorating health so that their healthcare needs can be reviewed more systematically and effectively. The aim was to develop and test a computerised search of primary care records in routine clinical practice as a tool to improve patient identification for a palliative care approach. METHODS: An iterative process of search design and testing followed by implementation and extended testing of the search output in clinical practice. A three-phase feasibility study: developing a computerised search, determining its ability to identify patients with deteriorating health from any advanced condition, and assessing how primary care clinicians use the results to improve patient care. The setting was twelve primary care teams in two Health Boards in Scotland. RESULTS: The search identified 0.6-1.7 % of patients in each practice who were not already on the palliative care register. Primary care clinicians judged that 30-60 % of these patients were at risk of dying or deterioration over the next 6-12 months. The most common action taken by GPs was to start an electronic anticipatory care plan. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to significantly improve the identification of patients for palliative care needs assessment using a computerised search however barriers remain to GPs' finding it acceptable. Time-efficient systems were important as was a generic tool for anticipatory care planning not linked to 'palliative' care.

Proactive cancer care in primary care: a mixed-methods study.

BACKGROUND: Current models of post-treatment cancer care are based on traditional practices and clinician preference rather than evidence of benefit. OBJECTIVES: To assess the feasibility of using a structured template to provide holistic follow-up of patients in primary care from cancer diagnosis onwards. METHODS: A two-phase mixed methods action research project. An electronic cancer ongoing review document (CORD) was first developed with patients and general practitioners, and used with patients with a new diagnosis of cancer. This was evaluated through documentary analysis of the CORDs, qualitative interviews with patients, family carers and health professionals and record reviews. RESULTS: The records of 107 patients from 13 primary care teams were examined and 45 interviews conducted. The document was started in 54% of people with newly diagnosed cancer, and prompted clear documentation of multidimension needs and understanding. General practitioners found using the document helped to structure consultations and cover psychosocial areas, but they reported it needed to be better integrated in their medical records with computerized prompts in place. Few clinicians discussed the review openly with patients, and the template was often completed afterwards. CONCLUSIONS: Anticipatory cancer care from diagnosis to cure or death, 'in primary care', is feasible in the U.K. and acceptable to patients, although there are barriers. The process promoted continuity of care and holism. A reliable system for proactive cancer care in general practice supported by hospital specialists may allow more survivorship care to be delivered in primary care, as in other long-term conditions.

Primary palliative care competency framework for primary care and family physicians in India-Collaborative work by Indian Association of Palliative Care and Academy of Family Physicians of India.

The discrepancy in the demand for palliative care and distribution of specialist palliative care services will force patients to be eventually cared for by primary care/family physicians in the community. This will necessitate primary care/family physicians to equip themselves with knowledge and skills of primary palliative care. Indian National Health Policy (2017) recommended the creation of continuing education programs as a method to empower primary care/family physicians. With this intention, a taskforce was convened for incorporating primary palliative care into family/primary care practice. The taskforce comprising of National and International faculties from Palliative Care and Family Medicine published a position paper in 2018 and subsequently brainstormed on the competency framework required for empowering primary care/family physicians. The competencies were covered under the following domains: knowledge, skills and attitude, ethical and legal aspects, communication and team work. The competency framework will be presented to the National Board of Examinations recommending to be incorporated in the DNB curriculum for Family Medicine.

Joint position statement Indian Association of Palliative Care and Academy of Family Physicians of India - The way forward for developing community-based palliative care program throughout India: Policy, education, and service delivery considerations.

PURPOSE: This joint position statement, by the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) and Academy of Family Physicians of India (AFPI), proposes to address gaps in palliative care provision in the country by developing a community-based palliative care model that will empower primary care physicians to provide basic palliative care. EVIDENCE: India ranks very poorly, 67th of 80 countries in the quality of death index. Two-thirds of patients who die need palliative care and many such patients spend the last hours of life in the Intensive care unit. The Indian National Health Policy (NHP) 2017 and other international bodies endorse palliative care as an essential health-care service component. NHP 2017 also recommends development of distance and continuing education options for general practitioners to upgrade their skills to provide timely interventions and avoid unnecessary referrals. METHODS: A taskforce was formed with Indian and International expertise in palliative care and family medicine to develop this paper including an open conference at the IAPC conference 2017, agreement of a formal liaison between IAPC and AFPI and wide consultation leading to the development of this position paper aimed at supporting integration, networking, and joint working between palliative care specialists and generalists. The WHO model of taking a public health approach to palliative care was used as a framework for potential developments; policy support, education and training, service development, and availability of appropriate medicines. RECOMMENDATIONS: This taskforce recommends the following (1) Palliative care should be integrated into all levels of care including primary care with clear referral pathways, networking between palliative care specialist centers and family medicine physicians and generalists in community settings, to support education and clinical services. (2) Implement the recommendations of NHP 2017 to develop services and training programs for upskilling of primary care doctors in public and private sector. (3) Include palliative care as a mandatory component in the undergraduate (MBBS) and postgraduate curriculum of family physicians. (4) Improve access to necessary medications in urban and rural areas. (5) Provide relevant in-service training and support for palliative care to all levels of service providers including primary care and community staff. (6) Generate public awareness about palliative care and empower the community to identify those with chronic disease and provide support for those choosing to die at home.

The threatened self: Considerations of time, place, and uncertainty in advanced illness.

OBJECTIVES: Loss of self and the transition to patient-hood have been widely discussed in relation to the experience of advanced illness. Individuals however often maintain identities or selves beyond those demanded by the circumstances of being a patient. This study explores the presentation of this personal identity and interactions between intrinsic and extrinsic elements that support or threaten its maintenance. In particular, this study examined the impact of uncertainty on the representations of self and the part played by the patient's health care professionals and the systems in which they are embedded, in limiting or reinforcing its effects. METHODS: Complementary methods of ethnographic observation and serial narrative interviews were adopted to explore both the lo"cal social and health care context and the changing presentation of self by patients with advanced multimorbidity, chronic illness, and cancer. In total, 36 interviews were undertaken with 16 patients. Analysis was guided by concepts of time and place, combining contextual data with the unfolding patient narrative. RESULTS: Good pain and symptom control was a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for the maintenance of a personal identity. Essential agentic elements included knowledge of appropriate and immediate sources of help. Also important were a sense of control achieved through a shared understanding with health care professionals of the condition and active management of uncertainty. In addition, the maintenance of self depended on keeping a connection with aspects of life associated with a pre-illness identity. Critically, this self was contingent on external recognition, acknowledgement, and validation. CONCLUSION: Professional relationships that focus solely on the 'person as patient' may be insufficient for patients' needs. Health care professionals should seek to recognize and acknowledge the personal identity that may be critical to their sense of self-worth. Through an ongoing relationship guiding the patient through the uncertainties they face, health care professionals may play an essential role in sustaining the 'patient as person'. STATEMENT OF CONTRIBUTION: What is already known on this subject? Loss of self or personal identity occurs in a range of serious conditions. The sick self is incorporated in a process of identity reconstruction. Uncertainty is an inherent aspect of serious and advanced illness. Unmanaged uncertainty results in a range of negative psychological consequences that contribute to the loss of personal identity. Information and communication with health care professionals help patients manage uncertainty. What does this study add? Sufferers may retain a personal identity continuous with a pre-illness self using internal and external resources. The pre-illness self may be subsumed by the patient self especially at times of transition and maximum uncertainty. Acknowledgement and facilitation by health care professionals can enable the preservation of the pre-illness self.

'My body's falling apart.' Understanding the experiences of patients with advanced multimorbidity to improve care: serial interviews with patients and carers.

OBJECTIVE: Multimorbidity is increasingly common in the last year of life, and associated with frequent hospital admissions. The epidemiology is well described, but patient perspectives are less understood. We report the experiences and perceptions of people with advanced multimorbidity to inform improvements in palliative and end-of-life care. DESIGN: Multicentre study including serial, multiperspective interviews with patients and their family carers; an interpretive analysis of experiences and understanding of living with advanced multimorbidity. PARTICIPANTS: We recruited patients and their family carers using established UK clinical guidance for the identification of people anticipated to be in their last year of life. SETTINGS: An acute admissions unit in a Scottish regional hospital; a large English general practice; a London respiratory outpatient clinic. RESULTS: We analysed 87 interviews with 37 patients and 17 carers. They struggled with multiple changing medications, multiple services better aligned with single conditions such as cancer, and a lack of coordination and continuity of care. Family carers spoke of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion and feeling undervalued by professionals. Patients and carers frequently saw deteriorating health as part of 'growing old'. Many used a 'day-to-day' approach to self-management that hindered engagement with advance care planning and open discussions about future care. 'Palliative care' and 'dying soon' were closely related concepts for many patients, carers and professionals, so rarely discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with advanced multimorbidity received less care than their illness burden would appear to merit. Some people did restrict their interactions with care providers to preserve autonomy, but many had a limited understanding of their multiple conditions, medications and available services, and found accessing support impersonal and challenging. Greater awareness of the needs associated with advanced multimorbidity and the coping strategies adopted by these patients and carers is necessary, together with more straightforward access to appropriate care.

The provision of emotional labour by health care assistants caring for dying cancer patients in the community: a qualitative study into the experiences of health care assistants and bereaved family carers.

BACKGROUND: While previous research has suggested that health care assistants supporting palliative care work in the community regard the provision of emotional labour as a key aspect of their role, little research has explored the experiences of family carers who are the recipients of such support. OBJECTIVE: To explore the emotional labour undertaken by health care assistants working in community palliative care from the perspectives of both health care assistants and bereaved family carers. DESIGN: We conducted a qualitative interview study in 2011-2012 with bereaved family carers of cancer patients who had received the services of health care assistants in the community, and health care assistants who provided community palliative care services. Transcripts were coded and analysed for emergent themes using a constant comparative technique. SETTINGS: Three different research sites in the United Kingdom, all providing community palliative care. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 bereaved family carers and eight health care assistants. RESULTS: Health care assistants view one of their key roles as providing emotional support to patients and their family carers, and family carers recognise and value this emotional support. Emotional support by health care assistants was demonstrated in three main ways: the relationships which health care assistants developed and maintained on the professional-personal boundary; the ability of health care assistants to negotiate clinical/domestic boundaries in the home; the ways in which health care assistants and family carers worked together to enable the patient to die at home. CONCLUSION: Through their emotional labour, health care assistants perform an important role in community palliative care which is greatly valued by family carers. While recent reports have highlighted potential dangers in the ambiguity of their role, any attempts to clarify the 'boundaries' of the health care assistant role should acknowledge the advantages health care assistants can bring in bridging potential gaps between healthcare professionals and family carers.

The real-world problem of care coordination: a longitudinal qualitative study with patients living with advanced progressive illness and their unpaid caregivers.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a model of care coordination for patients living with advanced progressive illness and their unpaid caregivers, and to understand their perspective regarding care coordination. DESIGN: A prospective longitudinal, multi-perspective qualitative study involving a case-study approach. METHODS: Serial in-depth interviews were conducted, transcribed verbatim and then analyzed through open and axial coding in order to construct categories for three cases (sites). This was followed by continued thematic analysis to identify underlying conceptual coherence across all cases in order to produce one coherent care coordination model. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-six purposively sampled patients and 27 case-linked unpaid caregivers. SETTINGS: Three cases from contrasting primary, secondary and tertiary settings within Britain. RESULTS: Coordination is a deliberate cross-cutting action that involves high-quality, caring and well-informed staff, patients and unpaid caregivers who must work in partnership together across health and social care settings. For coordination to occur, it must be adequately resourced with efficient systems and services that communicate. Patients and unpaid caregivers contribute substantially to the coordination of their care, which is sometimes volunteered at a personal cost to them. Coordination is facilitated through flexible and patient-centered care, characterized by accurate and timely information communicated in a way that considers patients' and caregivers' needs, preferences, circumstances and abilities. CONCLUSIONS: Within the midst of advanced progressive illness, coordination is a shared and complex intervention involving relational, structural and information components. Our study is one of the first to extensively examine patients' and caregivers' views about coordination, thus aiding conceptual fidelity. These findings can be used to help avoid oversimplifying a real-world problem, such as care coordination. Avoiding oversimplification can help with the development, evaluation and implementation of real-world coordination interventions for patients and their unpaid caregivers in the future.

Coordination of care for individuals with advanced progressive conditions: a multi-site ethnographic and serial interview study.

BACKGROUND: Coordination of care for individuals with advanced progressive conditions is frequently poor. AIM: To identify how care is coordinated in generalist settings for individuals with advanced progressive conditions in the last year of life. DESIGN AND SETTING: A mixed methods study of three UK generalist clinical settings producing three parallel case studies: an acute admissions unit in a regional hospital, a large general practice, and a respiratory outpatient service. METHOD: Ethnographic observations in each setting, followed by serial interviews of patients with advanced progressive conditions and their family carers in the community. A spectrum of clinicians and healthcare workers were also interviewed. RESULTS: Ethnographic observations were conducted for 22 weeks. A total of 56 patients, 25 family carers and 17 clinicians yielded 198 interviews. Very few participants had been identified for a palliative approach. Rapid throughput of hospital patients and time pressures in primary care hindered identification of palliative care needs. Lack of care coordination was evident during emergency admissions and discharges. Patient, families, and professionals identified multiple problems relating to lack of information, communication, and collaboration at care transitions. Family carers or specialist nurses, where present, usually acted as the main care coordinators. CONCLUSION: Care is poorly coordinated in generalist settings for patients in the last year of life, although those with cancer have better coordinated care than other patients. A model to improve coordination of care for all individuals approaching the end of life must ensure that patients are identified in a timely way, so that they can be assessed and their care planned accordingly.