"": A Qualitative Study of Patient Perceptions of a Primary Palliative Care Intervention.

Portz JD, Graney BA, Bekelman DB. "": A Qualitative Study of Patient Perceptions of a Primary Palliative Care Intervention. Journal of palliative medicine. 2022 Jan 1; 25(1):28-38.

Related HSR&D Project(s)

• IIR 14-346 – Palliative Care to Improve Quality of Life in CHF and COPD

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions

Search for Abstract from PubMed

---

Abstract:

Primary palliative care is needed to meet the complex needs of patients with serious illness and their families. However, patient perceptions of primary palliative care are not well understood and can inform subsequent primary palliative care interventions and implementation. Elicit the patient perspective on a primary palliative care intervention, Collaborative Care to Alleviate Symptoms and Adjust to Illness (CASA), from patient perspectives. Qualitative study using patient interviews and two methods of triangulation. Between July 2014 and September 2015, we interviewed 45 patients who participated in the intervention in a Veterans Affairs (VA) (primary site), academic, and urban safety-net health system in the United States. Participants were asked about what was most and least helpful, how the intervention affected participants' lives, and what should be changed about the intervention. Data were analyzed using a general inductive approach. To enhance validity of the results, we triangulated the findings from patient interviews, reviews of care coordinator documentation, and interprofessional palliative care providers. The six themes identified that primary care intervention: (1) Cared for My Psychosocial Needs, (2) Encouraged Self-Management, (3) Medication Recommendations Worked, (4) Facilitated Goal Attainment, (5) Team was Beneficial, and (6) Good Visit Timing. Participants experienced benefits from the primary palliative care intervention and attributed these benefits to individualized assessment and support, facilitation of skill building and self-management, and oversight from an interprofessional care team. Future primary palliative care interventions may benefit from targeting these specific patient-valued processes.