Training general practitioners contributes to the identification of palliative patients and to multidimensional care provision: secondary outcomes of an RCT
Date
2019
Authors
Thoonsen, Bregje
Gerritzen, Stefanie H. M.
Vissers, Kris C.
Verhagen, Stans
van Weel, Chris
Groot, Marieke
Engels, Yvonne
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BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
Abstract
Introduction To support general practitioners
(GPs) in providing early palliative care to patients
with cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease or heart failure, the RADboud university
medical centre indicators for PAlliative Care
needs tool (RADPAC) and a training programme
were developed to identify such patients and to
facilitate anticipatory palliative care planning. We
studied whether GPs, after 1 year of training,
identified more palliative patients, and provided
multidimensional and multidisciplinary care more
often than untrained GPs.
Methods We performed a survey 1 year after GPs
in the intervention group of an RCT were trained.
With the help of a questionnaire, all 134 GPs were
asked how many palliative patients they had
identified, and whether anticipatory care was
provided. We studied number of identified
palliative patients, expected lifetime, contact
frequency, whether multidimensional care was
provided and which other disciplines were involved.
Results Trained GPs identified more palliative
patients than did untrained GPs (median 3 vs 2; p
0.046) and more often provided multidimensional
palliative care (p 0.024). In both groups, most
identified patients had cancer.
Conclusions RADPAC sensitises GPs in the
identification of palliative patients. Trained GPs
more often provided multidimensional palliative
care. Further adaptation and evaluation of the tools
and training are necessary to improve early
palliative care for patients with organ failure.
Trial registration number NTR2815; post results
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Source
BMJ Supportive Palliative Care
Type
Journal article
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2037-12-31