Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37814271›Full record

ArticleBMC palliative care2023

Specialist palliative care until the very end of life - reports of family caregivers and the multiprofessional team.

Anneke Ullrich, Sven Goldbach, Wiebke Hollburg, Bettina Wagener, Annette Rommel, Marten Müller, Denise Kirsch, Katrin Kopplin-Foertsch, Holger Schulz, Carsten Bokemeyer and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC palliative care, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 18% 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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Observational
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 5 institutions in 1 country.

Anneke UllrichPalliative Care Unit, Department of Oncology, Hematology and BMT, University Medical Center Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. a.ullrich@uke.de.
Sven GoldbachSpecialist outpatient palliative care team 'PalliativPartner Hamburg GbR', Hamburg, Germany.
Wiebke HollburgSpecialist outpatient palliative care team 'PalliativPartner Hamburg GbR', Hamburg, Germany.
Bettina WagenerSpecialist outpatient palliative care team 'PalliativPartner Hamburg GbR', Hamburg, Germany.
Annette RommelSpecialist outpatient palliative care team 'Das Palliativteam', Hamburg, Germany.
Marten MüllerPalliative care ward, Asklepios Hospital Rissen, Hamburg, Germany.
Denise KirschSpecialist outpatient palliative care team 'PCT Hamburg-West', Hamburg, Germany.
Katrin Kopplin-FoertschPalliative care ward, Agaplesion Diakonie-Hospital, Hamburg, Germany.
Holger SchulzDepartment of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Carsten BokemeyerPalliative Care Unit, Department of Oncology, Hematology and BMT, University Medical Center Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Karin OechslePalliative Care Unit, Department of Oncology, Hematology and BMT, University Medical Center Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Universität Hamburg · DEAgaplesion Frankfurter Diakonie Kliniken · DEAsklepios · DEPathologie Hamburg-West · DEUniversity Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSpecialist palliative care (SPC) includes care for incurably ill patients and their family caregivers at home or on a palliative care ward until the very end of life. However, in the last days of life, patients can rarely express their needs and little is known about SPC outcomes as reported by multiprofessional SPC teams and family caregivers.

methodsUsing the Palliative Care Outcome Scale (POS; Score 0-40), proxy assessments of SPC outcomes in the patient's last 3 days of life were performed by SPC teams and primary family caregivers of three home care and three inpatient services. Additional questions were asked about problems solved 'particularly well' or 'inadequately' (last 7 days), which were content analyzed and quantified.

resultsProxy assessments by SPC teams were available in 142 patients (of whom 51% had died at home). Family caregiver assessments exist for a subgroup of 60 of these patients. SPC teams (POS total score: mean 13.8, SD 6.3) reported SPC outcomes slightly better than family caregivers (mean 16.7, SD 6.8). The POS items consistently rated as least affected (= 0) by both, SPC teams and family caregivers, were 'not wasted time' (team 99%/family caregivers 87%), 'information' (84%/47%) and 'support' (53%/31%). Items rated as most affected (= 4) were 'patient anxiety' (31%/51%), 'life not worthwhile' (26%/35%) and 'no self-worth' (19%/30%). Both groups indicated more problems solved 'particularly well' than 'inadequately'; the latter concerned mainly clinically well-known challenges during end-of-life care and family caregiver care.

conclusionsThis study shows the range and type of symptoms and other concerns reported in the patient's last days. Starting points for further improvements in family caregiver care and psychosocial and spiritual issues were identified.

Indexed as

CaregiversHome Care ServicesDeathHumansPalliative CareQuality of LifeEnd-of-life careFamily caregiverMultiprofessional teamPalliative Care Outcome ScaleSpecialist palliative care

Identifiers

PMID37814271
PMCPMC10563273
OpenAlexW4387442685

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.