Parkinson's disease and palliative care: a quality of care Delphi study

Extending palliative care services to those with long-term neurological conditions is a current aim of UK health policy. Lack of holistic guidelines for palliative and end-of-life care, and differing models of service provision, has resulted in heterogeneity in care access and quality. There is a need for evidence-based standards of care to audit Parkinson's services and drive improvements.

A two-stage Delphi process was used to achieve consensus on statements that define quality standards in palliative care for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). An expert panel was selected to comprise healthcare professionals, patients and carers based in the UK; this panel evaluated the statements via a Delphi survey. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the results informed modifications between the Delphi rounds.

A final set of 16 statements was produced, reflecting aspirational standards of palliative care in PD. These statements, split into four domains ('Structures and processes of care', 'Preparing for the end of life', ' Care in the last weeks of life' and 'Care in the last days of life') underline the importance of joint working between generalist and specialist services, individualised care and early and regular advance care planning.

The Delphi process has established a set of standards which can be integrated within and guide services, helping to improve the quality and equality of care. Further work remains to establish the effectiveness of different models of service provision, including the implementation of keyworkers and telemedicine.