Patterns and trends in referrals to a palliative nursing service

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Nursing Services
• Healthcare Trends

Background:

• Palliative nursing services play a crucial role in end-of-life care.
• Understanding referral patterns and outcomes is vital for service optimization.
• The evolving role of Macmillan Nurses impacts palliative care delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze 10-year trends in patient referrals to a palliative nursing service.
• To compare referral patterns and patient death statistics with national and district data.
• To explore factors influencing observed trends within the context of the Macmillan Nurse role.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of referral and death data over a 10-year period.
• Comparison of service data with national and district-level palliative care statistics.
• Qualitative exploration of potential reasons for identified patterns.

Main Results:

• Significant numerical increase in patients referred to the service.
• A discernible trend towards an increase in medical referrals.
• Low referral numbers from other professional groups and hospitals.
• Patient death trends showed no significant deviation from national statistics.

Conclusions:

• Palliative nursing services have experienced increased demand, primarily driven by medical referrals.
• The service's outcomes align with broader national trends.
• Further investigation into referral source variations and the impact of specialist nursing roles is warranted.