Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30765362›Full record

ArticleCanadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien2019

Do family health clinics provide primary-level palliative care in Ontario and the eastern regions of Quebec?

Bruno Gagnon, Sandy Buchman, Anum Irfan Khan, Marnie MacKinnon, Sara Urowitz, Tara Walton, Marie Immacula Fabienne Cléophat-Jolicoeur, José Pereira

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. 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

8 authors.

Bruno GagnonFamily physician, Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, and member of the Cancer Research Centre at Laval University in Quebec, as well as a palliative care consultant for the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et services sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale and at the CHU de Québec-Université Laval. gagnon.bruno@crchuq.ulaval.ca.
Sandy BuchmanFamily physician providing home-based palliative care in Toronto, Ont, is Associate Professor in the Division of Palliative Care in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, and is President-Elect of the Canadian Medical Association in Ottawa, Ont.
Anum Irfan KhanDoctoral candidate at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto.
Marnie MacKinnonDirector for the Prevention and Screening Policy Unit of Cancer Care Ontario.
Sara UrowitzProgram Manager for the Palliative Care Program at Cancer Care Ontario.
Tara WaltonPolicy Research Analyst for the Palliative Care Program at Cancer Care Ontario.
Marie Immacula Fabienne Cléophat-JolicoeurAnalyst in public health at the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
José PereiraDirector of Research at the College of Family Physicians of Canada in Mississauga, Ont, Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa, Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont, and Chief Scientific Officer at Pallium Canada in Ottawa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo explore the extent to which family health clinics in Ontario and the eastern regions of the province of Quebec provide palliative care.

designA cross-sectional survey.

settingOntario and the eastern regions of Quebec.

participantsThe clinic leads of a select group of family health clinics with patient enrolment models in Ontario and the eastern regions of Quebec.

main outcome measuresThe types of palliative care services that the clinics provide, as well as the enablers of and barriers to providing palliative care within the 2 provinces.

resultsThe overall response rate was 32%. Clinics in both provinces reported providing palliative care to ambulatory patients (83% of Ontario clinics and 74% of Quebec clinics). Only 29 of 102 (28%) Ontario clinics provided on-call services themselves, compared with 31 of 34 (91%) Quebec clinics, with the resulting effect being that more patients were directed to emergency departments in Ontario. Access to palliative care specialist teams for support was higher in Ontario than in Quebec (67% vs 41%, respectively). In Ontario, 56% of practices indicated that they had access to palliative care physicians who could take over the care of their patients with palliative care needs, but a lower number (44%) actually handed over care to these physicians.

conclusionA group of clinics are providing full palliative care services to their own patients with palliative care needs, including "on-call" services and home visits, and these serve as role models. In Ontario in particular, substantial gaps still exist with respect to clinics providing their own after-hours coverage and home visits; many rely on other services to provide that care. In Quebec, lack of access to palliative care specialist teams appears to be a key challenge in the areas included in this survey. This survey could help policy makers and funders of health care services ensure that appropriate conditions are put in place for optimal palliative care provision in these clinics, such as coordinating access to on-call coverage and support from palliative care specialist teams, as well as providing education to all physicians and adequate remuneration.

Indexed as

Cross-Sectional StudiesFamily PracticeFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansOffice VisitsOntarioPalliative CarePractice Patterns, Physicians'Primary Health CareQuebec

Identifiers

PMID30765362
PMCPMC6515495

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.