What Characteristics are Important to Acute Care Health Professionals in Australia when Choosing a Palliative Care Prognostic Tool

Prognostic tools can aid acute care health professionals in the recognition of dying and identify when a patient should transition from active treatment to palliative care. The recognition of dying has important implications not only for the patient, but also for their family and others involved in providing care. Several prognostic tools are used in the Australian acute care setting, however they are not yet routine practice. Identifying what characteristics are important to acute care health professionals when choosing a palliative care prognostic tool may inform how the tools are presented and could increase their utilization by non-palliative care specialists. This survey found that the Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT) and Surprise Question are the most commonly known prognostic tools and are used in several clinical areas within the acute care setting. Acute care health professionals prefer validated prognostic tools which are easy to use, and are designed to be administered with the patient, substitute decision maker and the clinical team. The survey also identified the need for palliative care prognostic tools to be included within undergraduate teaching programs, further increasing the awareness and utilization of prognostic tools by health professionals working within the acute care setting.