[Palliative Care from the Perspective of Providers of General and Specialised Palliative Care - A Cross-Sectional Survey].

[Palliative Care from the Perspective of Providers of General and Specialised Palliative Care - A Cross-Sectional Survey].

Gesundheitswesen. 2020 Dec 10;:

Authors: Rehner L, Moon K, Hoffmann W, Berg NVD

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Palliative care is a particular challenge in rural regions with low population density. Every patient should have access to palliative care regardless of age, diagnosis, prognosis, place of residence and economic aspects. The aim was to identify problem areas in palliative care in rural regions and to find possible solutions from the perspective of health service providers.
METHODS: A standardised written survey was conducted among providers of general and specialised palliative care in the federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In total, 489 service providers were sent a questionnaire. A random sample of general palliative care providers and all specialised palliative care providers in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania were contacted. For the evaluation of the structure of palliative care and to identify problem areas, the German school grading system was used (1=very good, 6=insufficient). The results of the survey were descriptively analysed.
RESULTS: The response rate was 19% (n=93). Identified problems were the interface between outpatient and inpatient care as well as between general and specialised palliative care. The cooperation between specialised outpatient palliative care teams and hospital with a palliative care unit was rated with an average of 1.9. The cooperation between specialised outpatient palliative care teams and hospitals without a palliative care unit was rated with an average of 3.6. The knowledge of palliative care of nurses in nursing homes was graded 4.0; 54.8% (n=51) of the participants could consider providing telemedicine care to palliative patients in addition to conventional care. The establishment of a palliative care coordination unit was rated as highly important by 34.4% of the participants.
CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate infrastructural, organisational and quality-related problems in providing palliative care. The provision of palliative care in rural areas could be strengthened through targeted training, outpatient consultation services, coordination units and the integration of telemedicine functionalities.

PMID: 33302320 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]