The palliative care needs of acute stroke patients : a prospective study of hospital admissions.

Burton, Christopher and Payne, Sheila and Addington-Hall, Julia and Jones, Amanda (2010) The palliative care needs of acute stroke patients : a prospective study of hospital admissions. Age and Ageing, 39 (5). pp. 554-559. ISSN 0002-0729

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Abstract

Background: despite a mortality rate of approximately 30% in acute stroke, little is known about the palliative care needs of this group of patients. Design: prospective study of 191 acute stroke patients admitted to hospital in England. Biographical, medical and stroke-related data were collected. Participants completed the Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral to Care (SPARC), a screening tool for referral to specialist palliative care. Findings: over 50% reported moderate to significant fatigue-related problems. Approximately 50% reported symptom-related problems (e.g. pain) or psychological distress (e.g. anxiety). Approximately 25% had concerns about death or dying, and 66% had concerns about dependence and disability. Over 50% were worried about the impact of stroke on family members. There were significant main effects of dependence (Barthel Index) (F1,123 = 12.640 P = 0.001) and age (F4,123 = 3.022 P = 0.020), and a significant three-factor interaction between dependence, age and co-morbidities (F9,123 = 2.199 P = 0.026) in predicting total SPARC scores. Conclusions: acute stroke patients have a high prevalence of palliative care needs. Acute stroke services should use the SPARC for needs assessment. Priority for assessment should be given to patients with a score of <15/20 on the Barthel Index, a tool already used in most stroke services.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Age and Ageing
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2717
Subjects:
?? strokepalliative careneeds assessmentelderlygeriatrics and gerontologyageingr medicine (general) ??
ID Code:
32730
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
15 Apr 2010 10:08
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
15 Jul 2024 10:55