Palliative Care Practices in Long-Term Care Settings
Summary
Palliative care in long-term care settings encompasses a holistic approach to alleviate physical, psychological and spiritual suffering among residents with life-limiting conditions. Such care prioritises early identification of complex needs, comprehensive symptom management and structured advance care planning. Delivery relies on multidisciplinary collaboration between nursing staff, general practitioners, allied health professionals and visiting specialists, supported by clear communication channels and documented care pathways. Education and training programmes for frontline staff foster competency in pain and symptom control, communication skills and ethical decision-making. Organisational frameworks, including designated care coordinators and integration with external palliative teams, enhance continuity of care. Emphasis on family involvement, cultural sensitivity and regular review of residents’ goals ensures that care remains person-centred. Recent innovations include telehealth support, digital care records and adaptive staffing models to address workforce shortages and promote equitable access across diverse geographic regions.
Research from Nature Portfolio
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Palliative Care Practices in Long-Term Care Settings publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in palliative care practices in long-term care settings across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Advance care planning (ACP): A structured process of discussion and documentation of an individual’s values, treatment goals and care preferences for future health decisions.
RE-AIM framework: An evaluative model assessing interventions across five dimensions—Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance—to gauge public health impact.
Implementation strategy: A deliberate method or technique used to promote the integration of evidence-based interventions within a specific setting.
Facilitation: The provision of support, guidance and problem-solving assistance to enable individuals or teams to apply new knowledge and change practice.
References
- ‘I don’t think they really link together, do they?’ An ethnography of multi-professional involvement in advance care planning in nursing homes. Age and Ageing (2023).
- Evaluating the implementation of the PACE Steps to Success Programme in long-term care facilities in seven countries according to the RE-AIM framework. Implementation Science (2019).
- Strategies for the implementation of palliative care education and organizational interventions in long-term care facilities: A scoping review. Palliative Medicine (2020).
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