- Title
- Implementation and evaluation of the Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT™) in acute care
- Creator
- Paulik, Olivia; Whitaker, Robyn; Mesuria, Monita; Wong, Debbie; Swanson, Katie; Green, Heidi; Sikhosana, Nqobile; Fernandez, Ritin
- Relation
- Australian Journal on Ageing Vol. 43, Issue 3, p. 591-599
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ajag.13308
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2024
- Description
- Objectives: The Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT™) has been used to identify patients at risk of deteriorating and dying within 1 year. Early identification and integration of advance care planning (ACP) provides the opportunity for a better quality of life for patients. The aims of this study were to identify the number of patients who were SPICT™ positive; their mortality rates at 6 and 12 months of the SPICT™ assessment; and level of adherence to ACP documentation. Methods: A retrospective audit of the Supportive and Palliative Care database was conducted at an acute aged care precinct in a major metropolitan tertiary referral hospital in New South Wales, Australia. Data comprising demographics, clinical conditions, SPICT™ positivity and compliance with ACP documentation were collected. SPICT™-positive patients and mortality were tracked at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Results: Data from 153 patients were collected. The mean age of the patients was 84.1 (±7.8) years, and the length of hospital stay was 10 (±24.7) (range 1–269) days. Approximately 37% were from residential care, and 80% had family deciding on their care. About 15% died during hospitalisation, and 48% were discharged to a care facility. The ACP documentation showed various levels of completion. Mortality rates at 6 and 12 months were 36% and 39%, respectively. Most patients (99%) were SPICT™-positive, with indicators correlating with higher mortality rates at both follow-ups. Conclusions: The study emphasises the critical need for addressing ACP and palliative care among older patients with life-limiting conditions. It underscores the importance of timely discussions, documentation, and cessation of futile interventions.
- Subject
- acute care; advance care planning; end-of-life care; palliative care; prognosis; Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT)
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1511767
- Identifier
- uon:56544
- Identifier
- ISSN:1440-6381
- Rights
- © 2024 The Authors. Australasian Journal on Ageing published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of AJA Inc’. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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