Enhancing palliative care registration using an automated robotic process with clinician validation: A PRADA...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Informatics
• Palliative Care

Background:

• Ineffective end-of-life care planning leads to increased hospitalizations and deaths.
• Palliative care registration (PCR) and planning can improve outcomes but identification is often delayed.
• Timely identification of patients needing palliative care is crucial for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance palliative care registration (PCR) accuracy and uptake.
• To develop an automated digital tool using palliative care process markers and clinical judgment.
• To identify patients with palliative care needs more effectively.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort study in primary care involving 39,079 adults.
• A robotic process automation tool (BOT) identified patients not on PCR using specific markers.
• General Practitioners (GPs) assessed BOT-positive patients for PCR inclusion, with mortality prediction metrics analyzed.

Main Results:

• 546 patients were BOT positive; 131 (24%) were added to PCR by GPs, showing the highest mortality rate (48.1%).
• The combined PCR captured 35.5% of deaths, an improvement from the original 25.4%.
• A 'digital safety net' (existing PCR + BOT positive) identified 48.6% of deaths.

Conclusions:

• A robotic process technique combined with GP assessment significantly increased PCR uptake and accuracy.
• This approach effectively identifies at-risk individuals for ongoing surveillance and improved end-of-life care.
• The developed tool acts as a digital safety net, enhancing palliative care identification and management.