Evaluation of A Novel Information-Sharing Instrument for Home-Based Palliative Care: A Feasibility Study
American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®
Published online on May 08, 2014
Abstract
To examine the feasibility and usefulness of a novel region-based pathway: the Regional Referral Clinical Pathway for Home-Based Palliative Care.
This was a feasibility study to evaluate the frequency of variances and the perceived usefulness of pathway using in-depth interviews. All patients with cancer referred to the palliative care team between 2011 and 2013 and received home care services were enrolled.
A total of 44 patients were analyzed, and pathway was completed in all the patients. The target outcome was achieved in 61.4% while some variances occurred in 54.5%. Nine categories were identified as the usefulness of the pathway, such as reviewing and sharing information and promoting communication, education, motivation, and relationships.
This novel pathway is feasible and seems to be useful.