Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34433457›Full record

ArticleBMC palliative care2021

Large differences in the organization of palliative care in nursing homes in six European countries: findings from the PACE cross-sectional study.

E Honinx, L Van den Block, R Piers, B D Onwuteaka-Philipsen, S Payne, K Szczerbińska, G Gambassi, M Kylänen, L Deliens, T Smets and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC palliative care, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 10% 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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. 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

11 authors at 7 institutions in 6 countries.

E HoninxEnd-of-Life Care Research Group, Department of Family Medicine & Chronic Care, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Brussels, Belgium. elisabeth.honinx@vub.be.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9330-9450
L Van den BlockEnd-of-Life Care Research Group, Department of Family Medicine & Chronic Care, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Brussels, Belgium.
R PiersDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
B D Onwuteaka-PhilipsenEMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Department of Public and Occupational Health, Expertise Center for Palliative Care, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorstraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
S PayneFaculty of Health And Medicine, Lancaster University, 46 Bardsea, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA14YX, UK.
K SzczerbińskaDepartment of Sociology of Medicine, Chair of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Medical Faculty, Jagiellonian University Medical College, ul. Kopernika 7a, 31-034, Kraków, Poland.
G GambassiDepartment of Internal Medicine, Istituto Di Medicina Interna E Geriatria, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo F. Vito, 1 - 00135, Rome, Italy.
M KylänenNational Institute for Health and Welfare, Mannerheimintie 166, P.O. Box 30, 00271, Helsinki, Finland.
L DeliensEnd-of-Life Care Research Group, Department of Family Medicine & Chronic Care, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Brussels, Belgium.
T SmetsEnd-of-Life Care Research Group, Department of Family Medicine & Chronic Care, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Brussels, Belgium.
PACE
Vrije Universiteit Brussel · BEGhent University Hospital · BELancaster University · GBAmsterdam Public Health · NLFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare · FIJagiellonian University · PLUniversità Cattolica del Sacro Cuore · IT

Funding

Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego Based on the decision no 3202/7PR/2014/2Seventh Framework Programme 603111
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo be able to provide high-quality palliative care, there need to be a number of organizational structures available in the nursing homes. It is unclear to what extent such structures are actually present in nursing homes in Europe. We aim to examine structural indicators for quality of palliative care in nursing homes in Europe and to evaluate the differences in terms of availability of and access to palliative care, infrastructure for residents and families, multidisciplinary meetings and quality improvement initiatives.

methodsA PACE cross-sectional study (2015) of nursing homes in Belgium, England, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland. Nursing homes (N = 322) were selected in each country via proportional stratified random sampling. Nursing home administrators (N = 305) filled in structured questionnaires on nursing home characteristics. Organization of palliative care was measured using 13 of the previously defined IMPACT structural indicators for quality of palliative care covering four domains: availability of and access to palliative care, infrastructure for residents and families, multidisciplinary meetings and quality improvement initiatives. We calculated structural indicator scores for each country and computed differences in indicator scores between the six countries. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to compute the p-value of each difference.

resultsThe availability of specialist palliative care teams in nursing homes was limited (6.1-48.7%). In Finland, Poland and Italy, specialist advice was also less often available (35.6-46.9%). Up to 49% of the nursing homes did not provide a dedicated contact person who maintained regular contact with the resident and relatives. The 24/7 availability of opioids for all nursing home residents was low in Poland (37.5%).

conclusionsThis study found a large heterogeneity between countries in the organization of palliative care in nursing homes, although a common challenge is ensuring sufficient structural access to specialist palliative care services. Policymakers and health and palliative care organizations can use these structural indicators to identify areas for improvement in the organization of palliative care.

Indexed as

Hospice and Palliative Care NursingPalliative CareCross-Sectional StudiesEuropeHumansNursing HomesEuropeNursing homeOrganizationPACEPalliative careStructural indicators

Identifiers

PMID34433457
PMCPMC8390206
OpenAlexW3195372922

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.