Premium
The COMPASS study: A descriptive study on the characteristics of palliative care team consultation for cancer patients in hospitals
Author(s) -
BrinkmanStoppelenburg Arianne,
Polinder Suzanne,
MeerumTerwogt Jetske,
Nijs Ellen,
PadtPruijsten Annemiek,
Peters Liesbeth,
Vorst Maurice,
Zuylen Lia,
Lingsma Hester,
Heide Agnes
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
european journal of cancer care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1365-2354
pISSN - 0961-5423
DOI - 10.1111/ecc.13172
Subject(s) - medicine , palliative care , life expectancy , family medicine , expectancy theory , descriptive statistics , nursing , population , statistics , management , mathematics , economics , environmental health
Objective To describe the characteristics of palliative care team (PCT) consultation for patients with cancer who are admitted in hospital and to investigate when and why PCTs are consulted. Methods In this descriptive study in ten Dutch hospitals, the COMPASS study, we compared characteristics of patients with cancer for whom a PCT was or was not consulted (substudy 1). We also collected information about the process of PCT consultations and the disciplines involved (substudy 2). Results In substudy 1, we included 476 patients. A life expectancy <3 months, unplanned hospitalisation and lack of options for anti‐cancer treatment increased the likelihood of PCT consultation. In substudy 2, 64% of 550 consultations concerned patients with a life expectancy of <3 months. The most frequently mentioned problems that were identified by the PCTS were complex pain problems (56%), issues around the organisation of care (31%), fatigue (27%) and dyspnoea (27%). There was much variance between hospitals in the disciplines that were involved in consultations. Conclusion Palliative care teams in Dutch hospitals are most often consulted for patients with a life expectancy of <3 months who have an unplanned hospital admission because of physical symptoms or problems. We found much variance between hospitals in the composition and activities of PCTs.