Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41459969›Full record

SynthesisPalliative medicine2026

Quality indicators for palliative care for older people: An umbrella review.

Amy Hutchison, Amy Spooner, Deborah Parker, Patsy Yates

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Palliative medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

4 authors.

Amy HutchisonQueensland University of Technology (QUT), Centre for Healthcare Transformation, Faculty of Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0009-0002-4669-4485
Amy SpoonerQueensland University of Technology (QUT), Centre for Healthcare Transformation, Faculty of Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Deborah ParkerUniversity of Technology Sydney (UTS), School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia.
Patsy YatesQueensland University of Technology (QUT), Centre for Healthcare Transformation, Faculty of Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInternationally, the ageing population is driving increased demand for palliative care across primary, aged, and healthcare sectors. Quality indicators for palliative care have been extensively researched, with systematic reviews synthesising these indicators for older populations across various care settings.

aimTo identify a comprehensive set of quality indicators for palliative care for older people.

designA research protocol was developed following Joanna Briggs Institute's umbrella review methodology and registered with PROSPERO. Included reviews were assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute's Critical Appraisal Instrument for Systematic Reviews and Research Synthesis. Identified quality indicators were mapped to Donabedian's quality model (structure, process, outcome) and aligned with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality's essential elements for safe, high-quality end-of-life care. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, and Cochrane were searched from January 2000 to May 2025.

resultsA total of 1272 records were identified, after removing duplicates 719 were screened by title and for eligibility. Four articles met the criteria, yielding 1071 quality indicators, of which 658 were unique. Among these, 402 (61%) related to the process of care, 179 (27%) to care outcomes, and 77 (12%) to structure.

conclusionThis review highlights a critical gap in quality indicators related to structure, including the physical and organisational settings of healthcare delivery. Indicators often emphasised a biomedical approach, overlooking the psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual aspects essential to high-quality palliative care. Further work is needed to develop a comprehensive, practical set of quality indicators that can be used across care settings.

Indexed as

Palliative CareQuality Indicators, Health CareTerminal CareAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleageinghealth carepalliative carequality indicatorsquality of health care

Identifiers

PMID41459969
PMCPMC12936153

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.