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Understanding emergency department staff needs and perceptions in the provision of palliative care
Shearer FM, Rogers IR, Monterosso L, Ross-Adjie G, Rogers JR.. Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA, 2014-04-08
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objective The primary aim of the present study was to investigate Australian ED staff perspectives and needs regarding palliative care provision. Secondary aims were to assess staff views about death and dying, and their awareness of common causes of death in Australia, particularly those where a palliative care approach is appropriate. Methods All medical and nursing staff working in a private ED in Perth, Western Australia, were asked to complete a combined quantitative and qualitative survey. The survey tool uses a combination of Likert-type scales and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics and intergroup comparisons were made for all quantifiable variables, whereas formal content analysis was used for text responses. Results Surveys were returned by 22 doctors and 44 nurses, with most reporting only working knowledge of palliative care but clinical proficiency in symptom control. Confidence in palliative care provision was lower among nursing than medical staff but educational needs were similar. Cancer diagnoses were consistently overestimated, and dementia and COPD underestimated, as the most common causes of death. Only six of 63 (9.5%) of respondents identified the correct top five causes of death. Conclusions Our study suggests that although ED staff expressed confidence regarding symptom management in palliative care, they lacked understanding of the patients in whom a palliative approach could be applied and sought further education in areas, such as end-of-life communication and ethical issues. ED specific training and clinical interventions in palliative care provision would seem to be needed and justified.
Key findings
- Results Surveys were returned by 22 doctors and 44 nurses, with most reporting only working knowledge of palliative care but clinical proficiency in symptom control.
- Conclusions Our study suggests that although ED staff expressed confidence regarding symptom management in palliative care, they lacked understanding of the patients in whom a palliative approach could be applied and sought further education in areas, such as end-of-life communication and ethical issues.
Study details
- Effect size9.5%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 15/100
Regulatory decision — not a study. It scored 15 on the same rubric, which is below the 16 cap we apply to non-peer-reviewed sources. Scored zero for study design, sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 9 of the 62 points we could judge it on, which is 15 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 2 / 10 | Tier 4 — not a peer-reviewed journal (Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Not a journal article, so the journal's record does not count |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 1 / 10 | Regulatory decision — not a study. Named source is a regulator (FDA / EMA / CMS / SEC). |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2014 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 24713040) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 9 / 62 | Scored on 12 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 9 of the 62 points we could judge it on is 15 out of 100. |
| Total | 15 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
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APA 7th
Shearer, F. M., Rogers, I. R., Monterosso, L., Ross-Adjie, G., & Rogers, JR. (2014). Understanding emergency department staff needs and perceptions in the provision of palliative care. Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA. https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.12215
Vancouver
Shearer FM, Rogers IR, Monterosso L, Ross-Adjie G, Rogers JR. Understanding emergency department staff needs and perceptions in the provision of palliative care. Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA. 2014. doi:10.1111/1742-6723.12215. PMID: 24713040.
BibTeX
@article{shearer2014-24713040,
author = {Shearer, F. M. and Rogers, I. R. and Monterosso, L. and Ross-Adjie, G. and Rogers, JR.},
title = {{Understanding emergency department staff needs and perceptions in the provision of palliative care}},
journal = {Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1111/1742-6723.12215},
pmid = {24713040},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.12215}
}
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