A Reduced Deck of Conversation Cards of Wishes and Priorities of Patients in Palliative Care.
Ulrika Olsson Möller, Ingela Beck, Carl Johan Fürst and 1 others
PMID 35121686WHAT IT FOUND
Among 39 palliative patients, pain relief, family presence and moving around were the most chosen wishes; a reduced 20-card deck was created for end-of-life conversations.
Key findings
01The most frequently selected wishes among 39 palliative patients were to be free from pain, to have family with me, and to be able to move around.
02Using a cutoff of 0.25, 20 cards were retained as the most common wishes and priorities.
03Six participants used blank cards to add wishes such as living life as normally as possible and avoiding an emergency department visit.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Thirty-nine participants from five Swedish palliative care units were mostly born in Sweden, so the results may not transfer to other cultures, countries, or patient groups. The study reduced a card deck using a probability cutoff, but it did not test whether using the cards improves conversations, goals of care, or patient outcomes. Choices were captured at one interview, and the six most ill participants died within 6 to 26 days after data collection, so wishes may change over time. Some chosen statements were removed during analysis, and blank-card wishes showed the fixed deck may miss individual priorities.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by grants from Kamprad Family Foundation and Mats Paulsson Foundation, Sweden.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this card deck improves palliative care conversations or outcomes. It was a small descriptive study of which cards patients chose, not a trial of the cards in practice.