Co-Designing a Strategy for Implementing the SPARC Holistic Needs Assessment Tool in the Colombian Clinical Context

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Health Services Research
• Implementation Science

Background:

• Timely access to palliative care (PC) in Colombia is limited by challenges in patient identification and service referral.
• The Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care (SPARC) is a validated instrument for holistic needs assessment.
• SPARC-Sp, the Colombian Spanish version, requires an implementation strategy for clinical practice integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To co-design an implementation strategy for the SPARC-Sp instrument within the Colombian healthcare system.
• To inform a future clinical trial for testing SPARC-Sp.
• To address barriers in palliative care identification and referral.

Main Methods:

• Co-design workshops involving diverse stakeholders: patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and decision-makers.
• Discussions focused on refining implementation and dissemination strategies for SPARC-Sp.
• Development of educational materials, including five videos, to support understanding and implementation.

Main Results:

• Identified needs for education, clarification, and demystification of PC.
• Highlighted time and skill constraints for healthcare professionals in patient needs identification.
• Recognized SPARC-Sp as valuable but requiring local adaptations for low literacy and healthcare system specificities.

Conclusions:

• SPARC-Sp implementation in Colombia necessitates educational initiatives and tailored adaptations.
• Addressing professional capacity and patient literacy is crucial for effective PC referral.
• A strategic approach, including educational resources, can enhance palliative care access through SPARC-Sp.