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- Title
General practitioners' perceptions on the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a risk prediction checklist to support their end-of-life discussions in routine care: a qualitative study.
- Authors
Lewis, Ebony T; Mahimbo, Abela; Linhart, Christine; Williamson, Margaret; Morgan, Mark; Hammill, Kathrine; Hall, John; Cardona, Magnolia
- Abstract
<bold>Background: </bold>General practitioners' (GPs) play a central role in facilitating end-of-life discussions with older patients nearing the end-of-life. However, prognostic uncertainty of time to death is one important barrier to initiation of these discussions.<bold>Objective: </bold>To explore GPs' perceptions of the feasibility and acceptability of a risk prediction checklist to identify older patients in their last 12 months of life and describe perceived barriers and facilitators for implementing end-of-life planning.<bold>Methods: </bold>Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 GPs practising in metropolitan locations in New South Wales and Queensland between May and June 2019. Data were analysed thematically.<bold>Results: </bold>Eight themes emerged: accessibility and implementation of the checklist, uncertainty around checklist's accuracy and usefulness, time of the checklist, checklist as a potential prompt for end-of-life conversations, end-of-life conversations not an easy topic, end-of-life conversation requires time and effort, uncertainty in identifying end-of-life patients and limited community literacy on end-of-life. Most participants welcomed a risk prediction checklist in routine practice if assured of its accuracy in identifying which patients were nearing end-of-life.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Most participating GPs saw the value in risk assessment and end-of-life planning. Many emphasized the need for appropriate support, tools and funding for prognostic screening and end-of-life planning for this to become routine in general practice. Well validated risk prediction tools are needed to increase clinician confidence in identifying risk of death to support end-of-life care planning.
- Subjects
QUEENSLAND; NEW South Wales; FORECASTING; OLDER patients; SENSORY perception; QUALITATIVE research; TERMINAL care; SURGERY safety measures; GENERAL practitioners; PILOT projects; RESEARCH; ATTITUDE (Psychology); RESEARCH methodology; MEDICAL personnel; MEDICAL cooperation; EVALUATION research; COMPARATIVE studies; QUESTIONNAIRES; DEATH
- Publication
Family Practice, 2020, Vol 37, Issue 5, p703
- ISSN
0263-2136
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1093/fampra/cmaa036