Nurses’ perceptions of specialist palliative care in an acute hospital

Abstract

Establishing the appropriate levels of provision for specialist palliative care, within the acute hospital setting, is a matter of importance for those seeking to purchase and provide such services. This article provides evidence from a study, commissioned by an NHS Trust, where the focus of attention was nurses’ assessment of the current need for specialist inpatient palliative care. Using a prospective questionnaire survey, on two separate days nursing staff were asked to identify patients who were either considered to be terminally ill and/or to have palliative care needs. Ninety-three patients were identified, approximately 5% of the hospital patient population. Of that population, 75 patients were suitable for referral to a specialist palliative care unit and 25 patients in this group were suitable for direct admission to a specialist unit. The study concluded that, in the view of nurses, a significant number of patients would be suitable for specialist palliative care within a dedicated unit.