Background: Palliative care team (PCT) is a common type of palliative care services. However, distress in cancer patients may be underestimated by hospital staff. Reasons for PCT consultation may be inconsistent with patients' actual needs.
Objective: We aimed to examine the proportions of discrepancy between the reasons for PCT consultation and actual PCT activities.
Design and methods: We performed an observational study based on datasets of PCT activities at Kindai University Hospital. Differences in the proportion between reasons for PCT consultation and actual PCT activities were calculated.
Results: Datasets of 368 hospitalized cancer patients for whom the PCT performed interventions were analyzed. The average patient age was 61 years. Hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer were the most common primary sites (20%) followed by blood (12%) and lung (11%). Pain management was the most frequent reason for PCT consultation (67%) and PCT activities (65%). Delirium was more likely to be treated by the PCT, but less likely to be listed as a reason for consultation. The need for support for family and for decision making was less often recognized by hospital staff. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and depression were more likely listed as reasons for consultation, but less likely to receive PCT intervention.
Conclusions: Delirium and the need for family and decision-making support were underrecognized by hospital staff. PCT intervention for CRF and depression was often withheld because of very late referral. Appropriate timing of PCT consultations is important. Providing educational opportunities for hospital staff to comprehensively assess patient's multidimensional distress is needed.
Keywords: consultation; late referral; palliative care team; underestimation.