Nursing Home Palliative Care Referral Process, Barriers, and Proposed Solutions: A Qualitative Study

Despite evidence that specialized care for seriously ill nursing home (NH) residents is needed, barriers to accessing palliative care (PC) remain. A significant issue is the complexity of the referral process that inhibits timely and equitable access to care. This qualitative descriptive study explo...

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Published inJournal of applied gerontology p. 7334648241286326
Main Authors Cole, Connie S, Jackson, Amy, Bennett, C Robert, Fink, Regina M, Unroe, Kathleen T, Levy, Cari R, Carpenter, Joan G
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 21.10.2024
Subjects
nursing home
referral process
screening
identifying palliative care needs
palliative care
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Summary:Despite evidence that specialized care for seriously ill nursing home (NH) residents is needed, barriers to accessing palliative care (PC) remain. A significant issue is the complexity of the referral process that inhibits timely and equitable access to care. This qualitative descriptive study explored the PC referral process in NHs. Using rapid qualitative analysis with semi-structured interview data from NH staff, primary care, and specialty PC providers ( = 17) in six states, this study outlines a multistep referral process along with barriers and proposed solutions. Key recommendations include comprehensive PC education program development, implementation of an evidence-based PC screening tool, and the holistic integration of PC services in NHs.
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ISSN:0733-4648
1552-4523
1552-4523
DOI:10.1177/07334648241286326