Jun Hamano1, Ai Oishi2, Yoshiyuki Kizawa3. 1. 1 Division of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba , Tsukuba, Japan . 2. 2 Primary Palliative Care Research Group, Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh, United Kingdom . 3. 3 Department of Palliative Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine , Kobe, Japan .
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Identifying patients who require palliative care approach is challenging for family physicians, even though several identification tools have been developed for this purpose. OBJECTIVE: To explore the prevalence and characteristics of family practice patients who need palliative care approach as determined using Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT™, April 2015) in Japan. DESIGN: Single-center cross-sectional study. SETTING/ SUBJECTS: We enrolled all patients ≥65 years of age who visited the chief researcher's outpatient clinic in October 2016. MEASUREMENTS: We used Japanese version of SPICT (SPICT-J) to identify patients who need palliative care approach. We assessed patients' backgrounds and whether they had undergone advance care planning with their family physicians. RESULTS: This study included 87 patients (61 females) with a mean age of 79.0 ± 7.4 years. Eight patients (9.2%) were identified as needing palliative care approach. The mean age of patients who needed this approach was 82.3 ± 8.3 years and main underlying conditions were heart/vascular disease (37.5%), dementia/frailty (25.0%), and respiratory disease (12.5%). Only two of eight patients identified as needing palliative care approach had discussed advance care planning with their family physicians. CONCLUSIONS: In family practice, 9.2% of outpatients ≥65 years of age were identified as needing palliative care approach. Family physicians should carefully evaluate whether outpatients need palliative care approach.
BACKGROUND: Identifying patients who require palliative care approach is challenging for family physicians, even though several identification tools have been developed for this purpose. OBJECTIVE: To explore the prevalence and characteristics of family practice patients who need palliative care approach as determined using Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT™, April 2015) in Japan. DESIGN: Single-center cross-sectional study. SETTING/ SUBJECTS: We enrolled all patients ≥65 years of age who visited the chief researcher's outpatient clinic in October 2016. MEASUREMENTS: We used Japanese version of SPICT (SPICT-J) to identify patients who need palliative care approach. We assessed patients' backgrounds and whether they had undergone advance care planning with their family physicians. RESULTS: This study included 87 patients (61 females) with a mean age of 79.0 ± 7.4 years. Eight patients (9.2%) were identified as needing palliative care approach. The mean age of patients who needed this approach was 82.3 ± 8.3 years and main underlying conditions were heart/vascular disease (37.5%), dementia/frailty (25.0%), and respiratory disease (12.5%). Only two of eight patients identified as needing palliative care approach had discussed advance care planning with their family physicians. CONCLUSIONS: In family practice, 9.2% of outpatients ≥65 years of age were identified as needing palliative care approach. Family physicians should carefully evaluate whether outpatients need palliative care approach.
Entities:
Keywords:
family practice; identification tool; palliative care approach
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