Primary Care Providers’ Perceptions of Care

1992 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 8-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary C. Keizer ◽  
John-Francois Kozak ◽  
John F. Scott

The Regional Palliative Care Unit in Ottawa conducted a retrospective study to determine how satisfied patients and families were with the service the Unit offers. Forty-five primary care providers, bereaved from 6 to 12 months, completed the 64-item semistructured telephone interview in a mean time of 20 minutes. The 59 closed-ended questions rated satisfaction levels concerning various aspects of the palliative care service on a 5-point Likert scale. Five open-ended questions elicited family priorities and suggestions for improvement. The major finding was that care was perceived to be highly satisfactory. Unexpected outcomes of the study were the identification by family members of the criteria for a “good death” and families’ perceptions that the Unit offers the best quality of life and death even for those patients who resist admission to the hospice setting.

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 338
Author(s):  
Kimberly E. Lind ◽  
Mikaela Jorgensen ◽  
Chanelle Stowers ◽  
Martyn Brookes

This study developed a model for using Google Analytics (GA) data to evaluate utilisation trends of the Sydney North HealthPathways portal. HealthPathways GA data merged with dates of page localisations and promotional events from March 2017 through June 2018 were analysed to evaluate engagement and use of HealthPathways, integration into clinical practice and how HealthPathways is used. Descriptive statistics and plots were generated for each clinical stream and page for the number of users per month (total, new and return users), mean time on page, navigation and search terms. The number of page views, new users and return users increased during the study period. Each clinical stream had between 26 and 2508 views, with a median of 199 views (interquartile range 84–461 views). Individual pages had 0–12388 total views. Return users visited seven times on average. Most usage occurred between mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Diabetes was the most frequently viewed and searched clinical stream, followed by palliative care. These streams had the greatest number of promotional events. Increasing use of and interaction with HealthPathways suggests that it is a useful tool to support clinical practice among northern Sydney primary care providers.


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 381-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunil K. Aggarwal ◽  
Amrita Ghosh ◽  
M. Jennifer Cheng ◽  
Kathleen Luton ◽  
Peter F. Lowet ◽  
...  

AbstractObjective:With the ongoing expansion of palliative care services throughout the United States, meeting the needs of socioeconomically marginalized populations, as in all domains of healthcare, continues to be a challenge. Our specific aim here was to help meet some of these needs through expanding delivery of pain and palliative care services by establishing a new clinic for underserved patients and collecting descriptive data about its operation.Method:In November of 2014, the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center's Pain and Palliative Care Service (PPCS) launched a bimonthly offsite pain and palliative care outpatient clinic in collaboration with Mobile Medical Care Inc. (MobileMed), a private not-for-profit primary care provider in Montgomery County, Maryland, serving underserved area residents since 1968. Staffed by NIH hospice and palliative medicine clinical fellows and faculty, the clinic provides specialty pain and palliative care consultation services to patients referred by their primary care healthcare providers. A patient log was maintained, charts reviewed, and referring providers surveyed on their satisfaction with the service.Results:The clinic had 27 patient encounters with 10 patients (6 males, 4 females, aged 23–67) during its first 7 months of operation. The reason for referral for all but one patient was chronic pain of multiple etiologies. Patients had numerous psychosocial stressors and comorbidities. All primary care providers who returned surveys (n = 4) rated their level of satisfaction with the consultation service as “very satisfied” or “extremely satisfied.”Significance of Results:This brief descriptive report outlines the steps taken and logistical issues addressed to launch and continue the clinic, the characteristics of patients treated, and the results of quality-improvement projects. Lessons learned are highlighted and future directions suggested for the clinic and others that may come along like it.


Medicine ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. e5755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolin Wei ◽  
Jia Yin ◽  
Samuel Y.S. Wong ◽  
Sian M. Griffiths ◽  
Guanyang Zou ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan McDarby ◽  
Brian D. Carpenter

Objective: To identify factors that hinder or facilitate the palliative care consultation team’s (PCCT) successful collaboration with other providers from the perspectives of both PCCT and nonpalliative specialists. Methods: Qualitative study, including semistructured interviews with PCCT and nonpalliative care providers from various specialties at 4 Midwestern hospitals. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed into written text documents for thematic analysis. Palliative care consultation team (n = 19) and nonpalliative care providers (n = 29) were interviewed at their respective hospital sites or via telephone. Palliative care consultation team providers included physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers, and one chaplain. Specialists included critical care physicians, surgeons, hospitalists, nephrologists, oncologists, and cardiologists. Results: Six themes emerged reflecting barriers to and facilitators of successful collaboration between the PCCT and other providers. Primary barriers included attitudes about palliative care, lack of knowledge about the role of the PCCT, and patient and family resistance. Facilitators included marketing of the palliative care service and education about the expertise of the PCCT. Conclusion: In order to engage in more effective collaboration with other specialty providers, the PCCT may consider strategies including structured educational interventions, increased visibility in the hospital, and active marketing of the utility of palliative care across disciplines.


2021 ◽  
pp. 42-46
Author(s):  
Larry D. McIntire ◽  
Kindall Martin ◽  
Kunal Shah ◽  
Lauren Malinowski ◽  
John Paulson

Background: Vertigo is defined as an illusion of motion caused by a mismatch of information between the visual, vestibular and somatosensory systems. The most common diagnosis associated with whirling vertigo is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), which affects approximately 3.4% of patients older than 60 years of age. Objective: This paper aims to educate primary care providers on how to diagnose BPPV by performing canalith repositioning maneuvers at the initial point of care. Timely treatment of BPPV in the primary care office is believed to reduce healthcare costs by way of limiting unnecessary diagnostic testing and lowering referrals for specialty care. Immediate treatment is also believed to improve the quality of healthcare delivery for the vertigo patient by reducing morbidity and resolving the condition without the need for referrals or imaging. Population Health: A review of the literature finds that delayed diagnosis and treatment of BPPV is associated with a host of deleterious effects on patients. Population health impacts include increased rates of anxiety and depression; loss of work and/or change of career paths; inappropriate use of medications or emergency care resources; decreased access to healthcare services; increased healthcare costs; and reduced quality of care. Diagnosis: A history of positional vertigo and evidence of nystagmus with Dix-Hallpike positioning confirms the diagnosis. A detailed description of the performance of this test is elucidated. Treatment: The observed nystagmus is analyzed and classified based on directionality. Treatment can be initiated immediately with canalith repositioning maneuvers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 1131-1145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariko L Carey ◽  
Alison C Zucca ◽  
Megan AG Freund ◽  
Jamie Bryant ◽  
Anne Herrmann ◽  
...  

Background: There is increasing demand for primary care practitioners to play a key role in palliative care delivery. Given this, it is important to understand their perceptions of the barriers and enablers to optimal palliative care, and how commonly these are experienced. Aim: To explore the type and prevalence of barriers and enablers to palliative care provision reported by primary care practitioners. Design: A systematic review of quantitative data-based articles was conducted. Data sources: Medline, Embase and PsychINFO databases were searched for articles published between January 2007 and March 2019. Data synthesis: Abstracts were assessed against the eligibility criteria by one reviewer and a random sample of 80 articles were blind coded by a second author. Data were extracted from eligible full-texts by one author and checked by a second. Given the heterogeneity in the included studies’ methods and outcomes, a narrative synthesis was undertaken. Results: Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. The most common barriers related to bureaucratic procedures, communication between healthcare professionals, primary care practitioners’ personal commitments, and their skills or confidence. The most common enablers related to education, nurses and trained respite staff to assist with care delivery, better communication between professionals, and templates to facilitate referral to out-of-hours services. Conclusion: A holistic approach addressing the range of barriers reported in this review is needed to support primary care providers to deliver palliative care. This includes better training and addressing barriers related to the interface between healthcare services.


2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Shulman ◽  
Briony F Hudson ◽  
Joseph Low ◽  
Nigel Hewett ◽  
Julian Daley ◽  
...  

Background: Being homeless or vulnerably housed is associated with death at a young age, frequently related to medical problems complicated by drug or alcohol dependence. Homeless people experience high symptom burden at the end of life, yet palliative care service use is limited. Aim: To explore the views and experiences of current and formerly homeless people, frontline homelessness staff (from hostels, day centres and outreach teams) and health- and social-care providers, regarding challenges to supporting homeless people with advanced ill health, and to make suggestions for improving care. Design: Thematic analysis of data collected using focus groups and interviews. Participants: Single homeless people ( n = 28), formerly homeless people ( n = 10), health- and social-care providers ( n = 48), hostel staff ( n = 30) and outreach staff ( n = 10). Results: This research documents growing concern that many homeless people are dying in unsupported, unacceptable situations. It highlights the complexities of identifying who is palliative and lack of appropriate places of care for people who are homeless with high support needs, particularly in combination with substance misuse issues. Conclusion: Due to the lack of alternatives, homeless people with advanced ill health often remain in hostels. Conflict between the recovery-focused nature of many services and the realities of health and illness for often young homeless people result in a lack of person-centred care. Greater multidisciplinary working, extended in-reach into hostels from health and social services and training for all professional groups along with more access to appropriate supported accommodation are required to improve care for homeless people with advanced ill health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca M. Crimmins ◽  
Lydia Elliott ◽  
Darren T. Absher

Context: Heart failure (HF) is a complex, life-limiting disease that is prevalent and burdensome. All major cardiology societies and international clinical practice guidelines recommend the integration of palliative care (PC) interventions alongside usual HF management. Objectives: The purpose of this review of the literature was to evaluate the various barriers to the early initiation of PC for HF patients in the primary care setting. Methods: An integrative literature review was conducted in order to assess and incorporate the diverse sources of literature available. An EBSCO search identified relevant articles in the following databases: Medline complete, Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, and SocINDEX. The search was limited to full text, peer reviewed, English only, and published between 2010 and 2019. Results: Barriers to the integration of PC for HF patients include poor communication between provider/patient and interdisciplinary providers, the misperception and miseducation of what PC is and how it can be incorporated into patient care, the unpredictable disease trajectory of HF, and the limited time allowed for patient care in the primary care setting. Conclusion: The results of this review highlight a lack of communication, time, and knowledge as barriers to delivering PC. Primary care providers caring for patients with HF need to establish an Annual Heart Failure Review to meticulously evaluate symptoms and allow the time for communication involving prognosis, utilize a PC referral screening tool such as the Needs Assessment Tool: Progressive Disease-Heart Failure, and thoroughly understand the benefits and appropriate integration of PC.


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