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Does the ‘Liverpool Care Pathway’ facilitate an improvement in quality of care for dying cancer patients?

Does the ‘Liverpool Care Pathway’ facilitate an improvement in quality of care for dying cancer patients?
Does the ‘Liverpool Care Pathway’ facilitate an improvement in quality of care for dying cancer patients?
Background: The Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP) aims to transfer hospice principles of care for dying patients to other health-care sectors. This post-bereavement survey explored the LCP’s effectiveness in improving quality of care for cancer patients.
methods: Postal self-completion questionnaires were sent to 778 next-of-kin to consecutive deceased patients who had died an ‘expected’ cancer death in a hospice and acute tertiary hospital.

Results: Following exclusions (n=53), 255 of the 725 next-of-kin agreed to participate (35.2% response rate). Overall hospice participants reported the best quality of care, and hospital participants, for whom care was not supported by the LCP, reported the worst quality of care. Multivariate analysis showed the hospice was an independent predictor for patients being treated with dignity (OR 8.46) and receiving adequate family support (OR 7.18) (P<0.0001). Care supported by the LCP and the hospital specialist palliative care team were both associated with good family support, but neither was an independent predictor.

Conclusions: From the bereaved relatives’ perspective, within the hospital, the LCP is effective in improving specific aspects of care, such as symptom control for dying patients. Further improvement is required, however, to attain the hospice standard of care.
0007-0920
1942-1948
Mayland, C.R.
664e113c-9675-41ed-9d0d-dec049693957
Williams, E.M.I.
775dbeee-727b-461f-a9ab-4eb200c97d0b
Addington-Hall, J.
87560cc4-7562-4f9b-b908-81f3b603fdd8
Fox, T.F.
ca797aa8-0ec7-4b05-83f5-b439377d9878
Ellershaw, J.E.
f8e08b9c-73db-43e3-ab43-ae59869792d7
Mayland, C.R.
664e113c-9675-41ed-9d0d-dec049693957
Williams, E.M.I.
775dbeee-727b-461f-a9ab-4eb200c97d0b
Addington-Hall, J.
87560cc4-7562-4f9b-b908-81f3b603fdd8
Fox, T.F.
ca797aa8-0ec7-4b05-83f5-b439377d9878
Ellershaw, J.E.
f8e08b9c-73db-43e3-ab43-ae59869792d7

Mayland, C.R., Williams, E.M.I., Addington-Hall, J., Fox, T.F. and Ellershaw, J.E. (2013) Does the ‘Liverpool Care Pathway’ facilitate an improvement in quality of care for dying cancer patients? British Journal of Cancer, 108, 1942-1948. (doi:10.1038/bjc.2013.203). (PMID:23681186)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: The Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP) aims to transfer hospice principles of care for dying patients to other health-care sectors. This post-bereavement survey explored the LCP’s effectiveness in improving quality of care for cancer patients.
methods: Postal self-completion questionnaires were sent to 778 next-of-kin to consecutive deceased patients who had died an ‘expected’ cancer death in a hospice and acute tertiary hospital.

Results: Following exclusions (n=53), 255 of the 725 next-of-kin agreed to participate (35.2% response rate). Overall hospice participants reported the best quality of care, and hospital participants, for whom care was not supported by the LCP, reported the worst quality of care. Multivariate analysis showed the hospice was an independent predictor for patients being treated with dignity (OR 8.46) and receiving adequate family support (OR 7.18) (P<0.0001). Care supported by the LCP and the hospital specialist palliative care team were both associated with good family support, but neither was an independent predictor.

Conclusions: From the bereaved relatives’ perspective, within the hospital, the LCP is effective in improving specific aspects of care, such as symptom control for dying patients. Further improvement is required, however, to attain the hospice standard of care.

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e-pub ahead of print date: 16 May 2013
Published date: 28 May 2013
Organisations: Faculty of Health Sciences

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Local EPrints ID: 358482
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/358482
ISSN: 0007-0920
PURE UUID: 3ca6e6b9-1551-499e-8b04-6e7262afc8fb

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Date deposited: 09 Oct 2013 12:07
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 15:05

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Contributors

Author: C.R. Mayland
Author: E.M.I. Williams
Author: T.F. Fox
Author: J.E. Ellershaw

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