A residential aged care end-of-life care pathway (RAC EoLCP) for Australian aged care facilities

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate an end-of-life (terminal) care pathway and associated infrastructure suitable for Australian residential aged care facilities that improves resident and health system outcomes. The residential aged care end-of-life care pathway was developed by a multidisciplinary collaboration of government and non-government professionals and incorporated best clinical management for dying residents to guide care and increase palliative care capacity of generalist staff. Implementation included identifying and up-skilling Link Nurses to champion the pathway, networking facilities with specialist palliative care services, delivering education to generalists and commencing a Palliative Care Medication Imprest System in each facility. The primary outcome measure for evaluation was transfer to hospital; secondary measures included staff perceived changes in quality of palliative care provided and family satisfaction with care. Results indicated that the pathway, delivered within a care framework that guides provision of palliative care, resulted in improved resident outcomes and decreased inappropriate transfers to acute care settings.