Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-qsmjn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T22:31:23.356Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Identification of patients with noncancer diseases for palliative care services

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2005

CAROL GRBICH ,
IAN MADDOCKS ,
DEBORAH PARKER ,
MARGARET BROWN ,
EILEEN WILLIS ,
NEIL PILLER  and
ANNE HOFMEYER
CAROL GRBICH
Affiliation:
Department of Palliative Care, School of Medicine, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
IAN MADDOCKS
Affiliation:
Department of Palliative Care, School of Medicine, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
DEBORAH PARKER
Affiliation:
Department of Palliative Care, School of Medicine, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
MARGARET BROWN
Affiliation:
Hawke Research Institute, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
EILEEN WILLIS
Affiliation:
Department of Palliative Care, School of Medicine, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
NEIL PILLER
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
ANNE HOFMEYER
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective: To identify criteria for measuring the eligibility of patients with end-stage noncancer diseases for palliative care services in Australian residential aged care facilities.

Methods: No validated set if guidelines were available so five instruments were used: an adaptation of the American National Hospice Association Guidelines; a recent adaptation of the Karnofsky Performance Scale; the Modified Barthel Index; the Abbey Pain Score for assessment of people who are nonverbal and a Verbal Descriptor Scale, also for pain measurement. In addition, nutritional status and the presence of other problematic symptoms and their severity were also sought.

Results: The adapted American National Hospice Association Guidelines provided an initial indicative framework and the other instruments were useful in providing confirmatory data for service eligibility and delivery.

Keywords

Inclusion criteriaNoncancer diseasePalliative careResidential aged care facilitiesTerminal care
Type
Research Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 3 , Issue 1 , March 2005 , pp. 5 - 14
Copyright
© 2005 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Abbey, J., Piller, N., De Bellis, A., et al. (2004). The Abbey Pain Scale: A 1-minute numerical indicator for people with end-stage dementia. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 10, 6–13.Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). (2002). Residential Aged Care Services in Australia 2000–2001: A Statistical Overview. AIHW CAT. No. AGE.22 (Aged Care Statistics Series No. 11) Canberra: AIHW.
Bennett, M. & Ryall, N. (2000). Using the modified Barthel Index to estimate survival in cancer patients in hospice: Observational study. British Medical Journal, 14, 157–158.Google Scholar
Cartwright, A. (1991). Changes in life and care in the year before death 1969–1987. Journal of Public Health Medicine, 13, 81–87.Google Scholar
Conill, C., Verger, E., & Salamero, M. (1990). Performance status assessments in cancer patients. Cancer, 65, 1864–1866.Google Scholar
Evans, C. & McCarthy, M. (1985). Prognostic uncertainty in terminal care: Can the Karnofsky Index help? Lancet, 25, 1204–1206.Google Scholar
Field, D. & Addington-Hall, J. (1999). Extending specialist palliative care to all? Social Science and Medicine, 48, 1271–1280.Google Scholar
Grieco, A. & Long, C. (1984). Investigation of the Karnofsky Performance Status as a measure of quality of life. Health Psychologist, 3, 129–142.Google Scholar
Grossman, S.A., Sheidler, V.R., McGuire, D.B., et al. (1992). A comparison of the Hopkins Pain Rating Instrument with standard visual analogue and verbal descriptor scales in patients with cancer pain. Journal of Pain & Symptom Management, 7, 196–203.Google Scholar
Health Funding Authority (HFA). (1999). Data from Hospice and Hospital Questionnaires. Wellington: HFA.
Hutchinson, T., Boyd, N., Feinstein, A., et al. (1979). Scientific problems in clinical scales as demonstrated in the Karnofsky Index of Performance Status. Journal of Chronic Disability, 32, 661–666.Google Scholar
Karnofsky, D., Albelmann, W., Craver, L., & Burchenal, J. (1948). The use of nitrogen mustard in the palliative treatment of cancer. Cancer, 1, 634–656.Google Scholar
Karnofsky, D.A. & Burchenal, J.H. (1949). The clinical evaluation of chemotherapeutic agents in cancer. In Evaluation of Chemotherapeutic Agents, MacLeod, C.M. (ed.), New York: Columbia University Press.
Kite, S., Jones, K., & Tookman, A. (1999). Specialist palliative care and patients with non-cancer diagnoses: The experience of a service. Palliative Medicine, 13, 477–484.Google Scholar
Kristjanson, L., Nikoletti, S., Porock, D., et al. (1998). Congruence between patient and family caregiver perceptions of symptom distress in patients with terminal cancer. Journal of Palliative Care, 14, 24–32.Google Scholar
Luddington, L., Cox, S., Higginson, I., & Livesley, B. (2001). The need for palliative care for patients with non-cancer diseases: A review of the evidence. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 7, 221–226.Google Scholar
Lynn, J. (2001). Serving patients who may die soon and their families: The role of hospice and other services. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285, 925–932.Google Scholar
McDowell, I. & Newell, C. (1986). Measuring health: A guide to rating scales and questionnaires, 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
Mor, V., Laliberte, L., & Morris, J. (1984). The Karnofsky Performance Status Scale: An examination of its reliability and validity in a research setting. Cancer, 53, 2002–2007.Google Scholar
National Council for Hospice and Specialist Palliative Care Service (2001). Building on Success: Strategic Agenda for 2001–2004. United Kingdom: National Health Service.
National Hospice Organisation (NHO). (1996). Medical guidelines for determining prognosis in selected non-cancer diseases. The Hospice Journal, 11, 47–59.Google Scholar
Nikoletti, S., Porock, D., Kristjanson, L., et al. (2000). Performance status assessment in home hospice patients using a modified form of the Karnofsky Performance Status Scale. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 3, 301–311.Google Scholar
Palliative Care Australia (2003). Palliative Care Service Provision in Australia: A Planning Guide. Canberra: Palliative Care Australia.
Saunders, C. (1978). The Management of Terminal Disease. London: Edward Arnold.
Schag, C., Heinrich, R., & Ganz, P. (1984). Karnofsky Performance Status revisited: Reliability, validity and guidelines. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2, 187–193.Google Scholar
Schonwetter, R., Soendker, S., Perron, V., et al. (1998). Review of Medicare's proposed hospice criteria for select noncancer patients. The American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 15, 155–158.Google Scholar
Sidell, M., Katz, J., & Komaromy, C. (1997). Death and Dying in Residential and Nursing Homes for Older People: Examining the Case for Palliative Care. Report for the Department of Health, Milton Keynes, The Open University, U.K.
Van der Putten, J., Hobart, J., Freeman, J., et al. (1999). Measuring change in disability after inpatient rehabilitation: Comparison of the responsiveness of the Barthel Index and the Functional Independence Measure. Journal of Neurological Neurosurgery Psychiatry, 66, A80–A84.Google Scholar
von Gunten, C.F. & Twaddle, M.L. (1996). Terminal care for noncancer patients. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, 12, 349–358.Google Scholar
Wilkes, E. (1980). Terminal Care: Report of a Working Party. London: Standing Medical Advisory Committee HMSO.
Woods, D. (2001). Modification of the Karnofsky Scale. Data Analysis of a Rural Palliative Care Service Proposal Extract 13/12/01 p. 1–4. Albany Palliative Care Team.
Yates, J., Chalmer, B., & McKegney, P. (1980). Evaluation of patients with advanced cancer using the Karnofsky Performance Status. Cancer, 45, 2220–2224.Google Scholar