Identification of patients with potential palliative care needs: a systematic review of screening tools in primary care

ElMokhallalati, Yousuf; Bradley, Stephen H.; Chapman, Emma; Ziegler, Lucy; Murtagh, Fliss E.M.; Johnson, Miriam J; Bennett, Michael I

Abstract

Background
Despite increasing evidence of the benefits of early access to palliative care, many patients do not receive palliative care in a timely manner. A systematic approach in primary care can facilitate earlier identification of patients with potential palliative care needs and prompt further assessment.
Aim:
To identify existing screening tools for identification of patients with advanced progressive diseases who are likely to have palliative care needs in primary health care and evaluate their accuracy.
Design:
Systematic review (PROSPERO registration number CRD42019111568).
Data sources:
Cochrane, MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL were searched from inception to March 2019
Results:
From 4,127 unique articles screened, 25 reported the use or development of 10 screening tools. Most tools use prediction of death and/or deterioration as a proxy for the identification of people with potential palliative care needs. The tools are based on a wide range of general and disease-specific indicators. The accuracy of five tools was assessed in eight studies; these tools differed significantly in their ability to identify patients with potential palliative care needs with sensitivity ranged 3-94%, and specificity ranged 26-99%.
Conclusion
The ability of current screening tools to identify patients with advanced progressive diseases who are likely to have palliative care needs in primary care is limited. Further research is needed to identify standardised screening processes which are based not only on predicting mortality and deterioration, but also on anticipating the palliative care needs and predicting the rate and course of functional decline. This would prompt comprehensive assessment to identify and meet their needs on time.
Key Words:
Palliative care, terminal care, mass screening, primary health care, systematic review, advance care planning, symptom assessment, terminally ill

Citation

ElMokhallalati, Y., Bradley, S. H., Chapman, E., Ziegler, L., Murtagh, F. E., Johnson, M. J., & Bennett, M. I. (2020). Identification of patients with potential palliative care needs: a systematic review of screening tools in primary care. Palliative medicine, 34(8), 989-1005. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269216320929552

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 5, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jun 7, 2020
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2020
• Deposit Date: May 13, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: May 14, 2020
• Journal: Palliative medicine
• Print ISSN: 0269-2163
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 34
• Issue: 8
• Pages: 989-1005
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0269216320929552
• Keywords: Palliative care; Terminal care; Mass screening; Primary health care; Systematic review; Advance care planning; Symptom assessment; Terminally ill
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3508353
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0269216320929552