Observational studyJournal of clinical nursing2025
A Point Prevalence Study of Need and Provision of Palliative Care in Adult and Medical Surgical Inpatients.
Observational study in Journal of clinical nursing, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
aimTo gain an understanding of palliative care need and provision in adult medical and surgical inpatients.
designAn observational point prevalence study was conducted across four study sites in Western Australia.
methodsAll data were collected directly from patient medical records by Registered Nurses. Potential palliative care need was assessed using disease-specific indicators for the 12 conditions outlined in the Gold Standards Framework Proactive Indicator Guidance.
resultsA total of 865 medical and surgical inpatients met study inclusion criteria. Across the four study sites, 38% (n = 331) of adult inpatients reviewed could have potentially benefitted from palliative care. Of the n = 331 patients assessed as having indicators for palliative care, there was evidence that 27% (n = 90) were currently receiving some form of palliative care, while 3% (n = 9) had been referred for specialist palliative care. For the majority of patients (70%, n = 232) there was no evidence of them receiving any form of palliative care or awaiting specialist palliative care.
conclusionThis study identified high levels of potential palliative care need among adult medical and surgical inpatients. The majority of the patients identified as having indicators for palliative care were not receiving any form of palliative care. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: The high prevalence of palliative care need found in this study highlights that recognising and addressing palliative care is essential for high-quality care for medical and surgical inpatients. To address the high level of need identified all nurses require basic palliative care training to provide optimal patient care. IMPACT: Knowledge about the level of palliative care need and provision of palliative care in public hospitals was limited. This study identified a high prevalence of potential palliative care need in medical and surgical inpatients. The majority of patients with indicators for palliative care were not receiving any form of palliative care. This research demonstrates that palliative care needs should be considered by all registered nurses and other health professionals caring for medical and surgical inpatients. REPORTING
methodThe study is reported using the STROBE guidelines. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.
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