Defining patients as palliative: hospital doctors' versus general practitioners' perceptions

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Palliative Care Medicine
• General Practice

Background:

• Lack of consensus exists regarding the classification of patients for palliative care.
• Effective communication between hospital doctors and general practitioners (GPs) is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the adequacy of information provided by hospital doctors to GPs regarding patients with palliative diagnoses.
• To determine GPs' perceptions of patients' palliative status and its alignment with hospital records.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was sent to GPs of 213 patients diagnosed with lung or colorectal cancer.
• GPs were surveyed on information received from hospitals and their perception of patient palliative status.
• Response rate was 87% (185 questionnaires returned).

Main Results:

• One in four GPs found hospital information inadequate; 26% received no or late information.
• In 20% of cases, GPs' perception of palliative status differed from hospital records.
• GPs perceiving patients as palliative noted significantly shorter survival (117 days earlier on average).

Conclusions:

• Discrepancies in identifying patients for palliative care exist between hospital and community settings.
• Inconsistent information flow impacts accurate palliative care classification and patient management.
• Addressing these gaps is vital for improving community patient care, informed choices, and palliative care research.