Evaluating person-centredness for frail older persons in nursing homes before and after implementing a palliative care intervention.

The paper reports 90 included, 44 analysed, and a 51% dropout rate, so results may not apply to more frail residents. Only 8-12 staff at each nursing home received the intervention, which the authors say may have been too few to detect a change. The patient version of P-CAT was not validated, and some residents found response options confusing. The Hospitality subscale had only three items and weak consistency (Cronbach alpha 0.43). Follow-up was three months after the intervention ended, which the authors say may have been too short to detect culture change. Participants could not have dementia and needed enough energy for a 1-hour interview, so the study excluded many nursing home residents.

The authors declared no conflict of interest. Funding came from Vårdalstiftelsen, Vetenskapsrådet, and Greta och Johan Kocks stiftelser.

Do not conclude that the palliative-care education caused lower safety ratings. The study was a complex before-and-after evaluation with high dropout and only some staff trained, so it cannot separate the intervention from staffing, turnover, or other care-environment factors.