Content Validity of a Conceptual Model of a Palliative Approach

Area of Science:

• Healthcare delivery
• Palliative care research
• Conceptual modeling in medicine

Background:

• The palliative approach encompasses healthcare aligned with palliative care philosophy, extending beyond specialized settings.
• A clear conceptual model is needed to link palliative care philosophy to practitioner actions across diverse patient populations and settings.
• This article proposes a model defining a palliative approach through addressing whole-person needs, enhancing quality of life, and acknowledging mortality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a proposed conceptual model for the palliative approach.
• To assess the content validity of the model against existing literature definitions of palliative care.

Main Methods:

• Conducted electronic and manual literature searches for definitions of palliative care and palliative approach.
• Utilized thematic analysis by two independent authors to evaluate congruence with the conceptual model's domains.
• Assessed the representation of whole-person care, quality-of-life focus, and mortality acknowledgement in identified definitions.

Main Results:

• Nineteen definitions of palliative care and palliative approach were identified and analyzed.
• The proposed model's three core domains were prevalent: whole-person care (17/19 definitions), quality-of-life focus (17/19), and mortality acknowledgement (15/19).
• Other concepts were less common, with 'family as unit of care' appearing in a few definitions.

Conclusions:

• The study supports the content validity of the proposed conceptual model for the palliative approach.
• The model effectively bridges palliative care philosophy with clinical practice.
• This conceptual model can guide the widespread implementation of a palliative approach in healthcare.