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Community hospitals: an under-recognized resource for palliative care
Sheila Payne1, Chris Kerr, Sheila Hawker
1Palliative and End-of-Life Care Research Group, University of Sheffield, Bartolome House, Winter Street, Sheffield, UK. s.a.payne@sheffield.ac.uk
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
|September 2, 2004
Summary
Community hospitals offer vital palliative care for underserved patient groups, including the elderly and those with non-cancer diagnoses. This study surveyed UK community hospitals to assess their palliative care resources and services.
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care
- Geriatric Medicine
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Concerns exist regarding variable end-of-life care quality for specific UK patient groups.
- Older adults, non-cancer patients, and rural populations often receive suboptimal palliative care.
- Community hospitals are a potential resource for improving access to palliative care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically survey UK community hospitals regarding their palliative care provision.
- To assess staff expertise, facilities, specialist equipment, and inter-service liaison.
- To understand priorities, practices, and policies in end-of-life care within these settings.
Main Methods:
- A structured questionnaire was distributed to senior nurses/managers at 478 UK community hospitals.
- Data collected covered palliative care expertise, facilities, equipment, and collaboration with specialist providers.
- Response rate was 72% (346 hospitals), with most located in rural areas.
Main Results:
- 73% of responding hospitals had nurses with palliative care training.
- 72% had access to 24-hour specialist palliative care advice.
- Only 22% had designated palliative care beds, and most lacked written policies for assessment or symptom control.
Conclusions:
- Community hospitals possess significant resources for delivering general palliative care.
- These findings support the role of community hospitals in enhancing palliative care access for under-served populations.
- Further development of policies and dedicated beds could optimize palliative care delivery in community settings.