Predicting patient deaths improves access to palliative care and outcomes for patients in primary care, but due to time constraints in general practice, clinical judgement of the practitioner remains the core method of identifying EOL care needs, rather than the use of a validated prognostic tool. To overcome this limitation, four Recipes have been developed to assist general practitioners identify patients who may benefit from a palliative care approach. These Recipes create patient lists, which the GP then reviews. This review can be supported by the use of prognostic tools such as The Surprise Question, SPICT4 and screening tools such as RADPAC.
Here are some useful links:
ELDAC MBS Item numbers to support palliative care service delivery
The recipes below provide a starting point to look at your patients and identify high risk groups. Further work needs to be done as most recipes are likely to show large numbers of patients. The tools (linked above) will assist with this.
- Find all active patients currently on a GP Management Plan (GPMP) with complex needs and may benefit from screening for potential palliative care needs
- Find all patients aged 75 and older, with existing chronic conditions which are associated with a higher risk of death
- Find all patients currently residing in a RACF who are likely to benefit from a palliative care approach.
- Find all patients with cancers who are more likely to have their life limited by their illness