Abstract
Background/aims: Patients with advanced disease, with multiple physical symptoms, psychological, social and/or existential problems are generally considered complex. However, a clear definition of complexity in palliative care does not exist. There is only limited evidence on complexity in palliative care, among which a predictive model of complexity in advanced cancer patients developed by Tuca et al. in 2018 [1].
Aim: Feasibility of the use of this complexity model in a Dutch study among hospice patients, using routine care data.
Methods: A retrospective file study of 502 hospice patients, admitted in 2016-2018 in 32 hospices randomly selected in the Netherlands. Both volunteer-driven hospices and professional-driven hospices were included. To estimate the feasibility of the complexity model, we collected information on symptom severity, performance status, and socio-familial and existential risk factors (RF).
Results: The available information in routine care data over the first 72 hours of the hospice admission for each of the 5 items of the complexity model [1] is summarized in T1.
Conclusions: Although missing information on symptoms can partly be estimated using a patient’s medical history, this model requires more than routinely collected data to give a valid estimation of the level of complexity. When assuming that missing information resembles the absence of a problem, underestimation of complexity is considerable risk.
Funding: ZonMw, the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development.
Reference: 1 Tuca A. et al. Support Care Cancer 2018, 26(1):241-249.
Aim: Feasibility of the use of this complexity model in a Dutch study among hospice patients, using routine care data.
Methods: A retrospective file study of 502 hospice patients, admitted in 2016-2018 in 32 hospices randomly selected in the Netherlands. Both volunteer-driven hospices and professional-driven hospices were included. To estimate the feasibility of the complexity model, we collected information on symptom severity, performance status, and socio-familial and existential risk factors (RF).
Results: The available information in routine care data over the first 72 hours of the hospice admission for each of the 5 items of the complexity model [1] is summarized in T1.
Conclusions: Although missing information on symptoms can partly be estimated using a patient’s medical history, this model requires more than routinely collected data to give a valid estimation of the level of complexity. When assuming that missing information resembles the absence of a problem, underestimation of complexity is considerable risk.
Funding: ZonMw, the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development.
Reference: 1 Tuca A. et al. Support Care Cancer 2018, 26(1):241-249.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | P02-363 |
| Journal | Palliative Medicine |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | Suppl_1 |
| Publication status | Published - 21 Sept 2020 |
| Event | EAPC World Research Congress 2020 - online Duration: 7 Oct 2020 → 9 Oct 2020 |