A point prevalence study of palliative care need and referral rates in adult inpatients.

Aim And Objectives: To gain an understanding of palliative care need and service utilisation in adult inpatients. The objectives were to 1) Determine the size and characteristics of the population of adult inpatients who were appropriate for palliative care referral, 2) Establish what percentage of patients, who were appropriate for a palliative care referral, had been referred to and/or were receiving palliative care.

Background: Internationally there is evidence of high levels of unmet palliative care need. Early access to palliative care is associated with improved outcomes including improved quality of life and reduced healthcare costs.

Design: An observational point prevalence study was reported using the STROBE guidelines.

Methods: Data were collected directly from inpatient medical records at a 578-bed tertiary private-not-for-profit hospital by three Registered Nurses on 3 June 2021. Palliative care need was assessed using the prognostic criteria for the 12 conditions outlined in the Gold Standards Framework.

Results: A total of 270 inpatients met study inclusion criteria. At a hospital population level, 29% (n = 78) of adult inpatients could have benefitted from palliative care. Of the 78 patients assessed as meeting criteria for palliative care, 29% (n = 23) were currently receiving palliative care with a majority of patients 71% (n = 55) not receiving palliative care.

Conclusions: This study prospectively collected data and included all 12 conditions outlined in the Gold Standards Framework and found a high level of palliative care need. There was evidence of a high level of unmet palliative care need across conditions and treating specialities.

Relevance To Clinical Practice: Estimates of palliative care need can be used to improve access to palliative care and assess operational requirements, including the staffing levels required to meet the level of palliative care need for adult inpatients.