Development of a Guide to Multidimensional Needs Assessment in the Palliative Care Initial Encounter (MAP)

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Clinical Assessment Tools

Background:

• Patient-centered palliative care necessitates a thorough initial needs assessment.
• Currently, no universally accepted guide exists for this multidimensional assessment in palliative care.

Approach:

• Developed an expert panel-endorsed interview guide for systematic Multidimensional needs Assessment in Palliative care (MAP) initial encounters.
• Drafted the guide using literature reviews, semistructured interviews, and nominal group processes.
• Achieved consensus on the guide's content through a modified Delphi process with palliative care physicians.

Key Points:

• The initial literature review and qualitative study identified 55 patient needs.
• The final MAP guide, refined through expert consensus, includes 47 needs across six domains: clinical, physical, functional, psycho-emotional, social, and spiritual/existential.
• The guide facilitates comprehensive, systematic, and proactive initial assessments.

Conclusions:

• The MAP guide is an expert-endorsed, semi-structured tool for efficient, multidimensional initial assessment in palliative care.
• Future research will evaluate the MAP guide's feasibility within standard palliative care encounter timeframes.