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A region-based palliative care intervention trial using the mixed-method approach: Japan OPTIM study.
Tatsuya Morita1, Mitsunori Miyashita, Akemi Yamagishi
1Department of Palliative and Supportive Care, Palliative Care Team, and Seirei Hospice, Seirei Mikatahara, General Hospital 3453 Mikatahara-cho, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 433-8558, Japan. tmorita@sis.seirei.or.jp.
BMC Palliative Care
|January 12, 2012
Summary
This study evaluated a regional palliative care intervention using a mixed-method approach. The findings offer insights into improving community palliative care without major health system changes.
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care Research
- Health Services Research
- Mixed-Methods Research
Background:
- Disseminating palliative care globally is crucial.
- Previous studies on regional palliative care programs had limitations including lack of patient-centered outcomes and absence of mixed-methods approaches.
- Existing interventions often required fundamental health system changes, limiting applicability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a regional palliative care intervention on various outcomes.
- To explore patient-reported and family-reported quality of care.
- To understand the process of developing and implementing community palliative care networks.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-method regional intervention trial combining pre-post outcome study and qualitative process studies.
- Quantitative measures included home deaths, service utilization, quality of care, quality of life, pain, and caregiver burden.
- Qualitative methods involved case description, grounded theory, and content analysis.
Main Results:
- The study measured a wide range of outcomes, including patient- and family-reported quality of care and quality of life.
- It assessed patient preferences for place of death and changes in healthcare professionals' knowledge and practice.
- The intervention did not require fundamental changes to the health care system.
Conclusions:
- This comprehensive evaluation provides a deeper understanding of region-based palliative care interventions.
- The findings contribute to developing effective community palliative care models.
- The study highlights the value of mixed-methods research in complex health interventions.
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