Evaluation of a pilot of nurse practitioner led, GP supported rural palliative care provision.

Background: Providing end of life care in rural areas is challenging. We evaluated in a pilot whether nurse practitioner (NP)-led care, including clinical care plans negotiated with involved health professionals including the general practitioner(GP), ± patient and/or carer, through a single multidisciplinary case conference (SMCC), could influence patient and health system outcomes.

Methods: Setting - Australian rural district 50 kilometers from the nearest specialist palliative care service.