Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25071416›Full record

ArticleBMC palliative care2014

Feasibility of assessing quality of care at the end of life in two cluster trials using an after-death approach with multiple assessments.

Emily West, Vittoria Romoli, Silvia Di Leo, Irene J Higginson, Guido Miccinesi, Massimo Costantini

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC palliative care, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 31% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Development of an emergency department end of life care audit tool: A scoping review.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2023
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 4 countries.

Emily WestEMGO + Institute for Health and Care Research-Vrije Universiteit Medisch Centrum, Van der Boechorststraat 7, Amsterdam, 1081 BT, The Netherlands ; Regional Palliative Care Network, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Genoa, Italy.
Vittoria RomoliRegional Palliative Care Network, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Genoa, Italy.
Silvia Di LeoRegional Palliative Care Network, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Genoa, Italy.
Irene J HigginsonDepartment of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation-Cicely Saunders Institute, Kings College London, London, UK.
Guido MiccinesiClinical and Descriptive Epidemiology Unit, ISPO Institute for the Study and Prevention of Cancer, Florence, Italy.
Massimo CostantiniRegional Palliative Care Network, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Genoa, Italy ; Palliative Care Unit, IRCCS Arcispedale S. Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Ospedale Policlinico San Martino · ITKing's College London · GBPiedmont Reference Center for Epidemiology and Cancer Prevention · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn 2009 two randomised cluster trials took place to assess the introduction of the Italian Version of the Liverpool Care Pathway in hospitals and hospices. Before and after data were gathered. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using a combination of assessment methods aimed at different proxy respondents to create a means of measuring quality of care at the end of life. We also aim to explore whether there are differences in response to this approach between the hospice and hospital inpatient settings.

methodsA retrospective design was used. Eligible deaths were traced through death registries, and proxies were used to give information. Four procedures of assessment were used to measure different dimensions. Feasibility was assessed through compliance and adherence to the study instruments, and measured against standards derived from previous after-death studies. The proxy caregiver's rating of the study tools was also measured, to gauge feasibility and effectiveness. All consecutive cancer deaths that occurred in the study period were eligible. In both trials, deaths were excluded if the patient was a relative of hospital/hospice staff. 145 patients were recruited from the Hospital setting, and 127 from Hospice.

resultsA high proportion of non-professional caregivers were interviewed - in both hospital (76.6%) and hospice (74.8%). There was no significant difference in the median number of days in each setting. 89.0% of hospital patients' GPs and 85.0% of hospice patients' GPs were interviewed. Care procedures were recorded in all hospice cases, and were missing in only 1 hospital case.52.7% of Hospital patients' relatives and 64.12% Hospice relatives were assessed to have been caused a low level of distress through the study.

conclusionsThe data shows high levels of compliance and adherence to the study instruments. This suggests that this approach to assessing quality of care is feasible, and this coupled with low levels of distress caused by the study instruments suggest effectiveness. There were no substantial differences between the hospice and hospital settings.

Indexed as

CancerEnd of life careFeasibility studyMethodological studyQuality of health careRetrospective study

Identifiers

PMID25071416
PMCPMC4113121
OpenAlexW2077510349

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.