INTRODUCTION: Portugal has one of the highest death rates in the hospital environment in Europe. However, the figures for the actual need for palliative care and for the use of the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) as guidance for best practice in end-of-life care are not known. OBJECTIVES: To characterize patients with palliative care needs at Hospital ARS Lisbon and Vale do Tejo; Assess whether Liverpool Care Pathway is being used as a guideline for health care delivery in patients with palliative needs and estimated life expectancy in 15 days or less; Identify reasons for not using the Liverpool Care Pathway, if any. METHODS: Descriptive, transversal and observational study. Information was collected from 36 health professionals. A sample of 198 adult patients hospitalized at the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo ARS Hospital, evaluated by doctors and nurses, was collected. A questionnaire adapted from The GSF Prognostic Indicator Guidance - 4th Edition and NECPAL - CCOMS was used as a data collection instrument. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 70 years, with a mean hospitalization of 21 days. Health professionals reported not being surprised if 28.8%% of patients died within 15 days, but only 10.1% were referred for palliative care. Most of the participants had a non-cancerous disease, however, it is in these patients that the professionals revealed lower life expectancy. No professional has reported using LCP to provide health care guidance to patients with an estimated prognosis of 15 or fewer days. Of all the professionals, only one doctor and one nurse reported knowing this document. CONCLUSIONS: There seems to be, on the one hand, difficulty for health professionals to refer patients with palliative needs, and on the other, an almost total lack of knowledge of LCP.
Date of Award | 22 Mar 2018 |
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Original language | English |
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Awarding Institution | - Universidade Católica Portuguesa
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Supervisor | Manuel Luís Capelas (Supervisor) |
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- Palliative care
- Liverpool Care Pathway
- Terminal illness
- Hospital admission
- Mestrado em Cuidados Paliativos
Doentes com necessidade paliativas em serviços de internamento hospitalares: número de doentes e adequação dos cuidados nos últimos dias de vida
Morais, D. S. P. (Student). 22 Mar 2018
Student thesis: Master's Thesis