Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30775957›Full record

SynthesisPalliative medicine2019

What is the evidence that people with frailty have needs for palliative care at the end of life? A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Daniel Stow, Gemma Spiers, Fiona E Matthews, Barbara Hanratty

Open access · hybridAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Palliative medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
39citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
7.0field-weighted citation impact, top 2% 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

39 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 86 citations in OpenAlex.

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  17. Perceptions of Frailty in Long-Term Care.Canadian geriatrics journal : CGJ · 2025
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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

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Daniel StowInstitute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9534-4521
Gemma SpiersInstitute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Fiona E MatthewsInstitute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Barbara HanrattyInstitute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Newcastle University · GB

Funding

Department of HealthMedical Research Council MC_U105292687
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe number of older people living and dying with frailty is rising, but our understanding of their end-of-life care needs is limited.

aimTo synthesise evidence on the end-of-life care needs of people with frailty.

designSystematic review of literature and narrative synthesis. Protocol registered prospectively with PROSPERO (CRD42016049506). DATA SOURCES: Fourteen electronic databases (CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, EThOS, Google, Medline, NDLTD, NHS Evidence, NICE, Open grey, Psychinfo, SCIE, SCOPUS and Web of Science) searched from inception to October 2017 and supplemented with bibliographic screening and reference chaining. Studies were included if they used an explicit definition or measure of frailty. Quality was assessed using the National Institute for Health tool for observational studies.

resultsA total of 4,998 articles were retrieved. Twenty met the inclusion criteria, providing evidence from 92,448 individuals (18,698 with frailty) across seven countries. Thirteen different measures or definitions of frailty were used. People with frailty experience pain and emotional distress at levels similar to people with cancer and also report a range of physical and psychosocial needs, including weakness and anxiety. Functional support needs were high and were highest where people with frailty were cognitively impaired. Individuals with frailty often expressed a preference for reduced intervention, but these preferences were not always observed at critical phases of care.

conclusionPeople with frailty have varied physical and psychosocial needs at the end of life that may benefit from palliative care. Frailty services should be tailored to patient and family needs and preferences at the end of life.

Indexed as

Health Services Needs and DemandPalliative CareTerminal CareAgedAged, 80 and overHumansFrailtyneeds assessmentpalliative careterminal care

Identifiers

PMID30775957
PMCPMC6439946
OpenAlexW2917187149

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

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.