Early integration of palliative care in Ontario cancer settings.

Abstract

e18234 Background: Introducing palliative care early in the cancer journey results in a better life quality, less aggressive care and possibly longer survival compared to patients receiving standard care. The INTEGRATE project aimed to identify and manage patients who may benefit from palliative care earlier in their cancer treatment. This pilot project assessed whether multidisciplinary forums (Multidisciplinary Cancer Conferences, Clinics and Diagnostic Assessment Programs ) could be used to identify patients using the UK Gold Standards Framework Surprise Question (SQ) “Would you be surprised if this person died within the next year?” Methods: Cancer centres volunteered to pilot test the efficacy of the SQ at multidisciplinary forums and implement a palliative model of care. A survey was completed at 3 different points during the project to measure provider comfort in providing palliative care. All sites received primary level palliative care education. Patient and caregiver experience were assessed using interviews and a validated survey. Identified patients received Advance Care Planning (ACP), symptom management, referrals and standardized reporting to primary care. Patient level data was collected. Results: 3 academic and 1 non-academic cancer centres used the SQ in multidisciplinary forums to identify patients in the Lung, Gastrointestinal and Central Nervous System disease sites between February '15-August '16. A baseline survey showed over 50% of providers had no palliative care training. 157 providers received education and at the end of the project providers had increased comfort & confidence in delivering palliative care. Analyses show that 933 patients were identified using the SQ, from which 78% had ACP initiated and 83% are receiving community palliative care services Conclusions: Multidisciplinary forums appear to be excellent for identifying patients who may benefit from a palliative approach to care. Inter-professional provider education and organized approaches to linking patients to community resources, had a positive impact on provider willingness to address end-of-life and palliative issues. Patients & caregivers report positive experiences of care, but different levels of ‘readiness’ to have the ACP discussions.