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Audit of an in-patient palliative care quality improvement process for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in a South African teaching hospital

  • 0Surgical Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
South African Journal of Surgery. Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif Vir Chirurgie +

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June 5, 2024

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June 5, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Implementing a quality improvement program for palliative care (PC) in pancreatic cancer significantly boosted PC referrals and improved care coordination. This enhanced patient support without negatively impacting survival or hospital stay duration.

Area Of Science

  • Oncology
  • Palliative Care
  • Quality Improvement

Background

  • Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) presents significant survival challenges.
  • Palliative care (PC) is crucial for improving quality of life (QoL) in terminal illnesses.
  • A quality improvement (QI) program was implemented for inpatient PC in PDAC patients.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To evaluate the impact of an inpatient PC-QI program on PDAC patient care.
  • To compare PC outcomes before and after the QI program implementation.

Main Methods

  • A focus group identified key intervention areas: PC referral, pain/symptom control, shared decision-making, collaborative care, and continuity of care.
  • A retrospective audit compared PDAC patient records from pre-QI (2017) and post-QI (2022) cohorts.

Main Results

  • Inpatient PC referrals increased significantly post-QI (54.4% to 82.1%).
  • Improvements observed in shared decision-making, collaboration, continuity of care, and pain/symptom reassessment.
  • Reduced invasive procedures and decreased delay in diagnostic procedures (8.7 to 1.5 days).
  • No significant differences in hospital stay, overall survival, or 30-day readmissions.

Conclusions

  • The PC-QI program enhanced the utilization of inpatient PC services and optimized resource allocation.
  • Further development of PC services can be achieved through increased patient and family engagement.

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