1. Consensus-based recommendations for the development and expansion of palliative day care clinics in Germany: results of a Delphi study.
- Author
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Stiel S, Ernst A, Apolinarski B, Röwer HAA, de Jong L, Burger B, Schütte S, Schneider N, Damm K, Stahmeyer JT, and Herbst FA
- Subjects
- Humans, Germany, Day Care, Medical standards, Day Care, Medical methods, Female, Middle Aged, Male, Adult, Delphi Technique, Palliative Care standards, Palliative Care methods, Consensus, Focus Groups methods
- Abstract
Background: Needs-based, patient-oriented palliative care includes palliative day care clinics as a specialized semi-inpatient care offer. However, the establishment and development of these facilities has been unsystematic. Research is needed to strengthen their transparency and ensure their accessibility, quality, and structural adequacy. A national Delphi study was conducted to generate appropriate recommendations for the establishment and development of palliative day care clinics in Germany., Methods: Recommendations were formulated from focus group data on the development and expansion of palliative day care clinics in Germany. Experts on in- and outpatient palliative care rated 28 recommendations for relevance and feasibility, respectively, using a 4-point Likert-type scale. Suggestions for improvement were captured via free text comments. Items were considered consented when more than 80% of the experts scored them 4 (strongly agree) or 3 (somewhat agree), regarding both relevance and feasibility., Results: A total of 23 experts (32% response rate) completed three Delphi rounds. Following the first round, 10 of 28 recommendations were revised according to participants' comments; 1 recommendation was rejected. After the second round, 3 of these 10 recommendations were revised, while 3 were rejected. Consensus was achieved after the third round for 22 of the initial recommendations., Conclusions: The Delphi-consented recommendations provide a basis for the targeted evidence- and needs-based development of palliative day care clinics. The findings show a need for standards setting and the meaningful integration of these clinics into existing structures., Trial Registration: The present study was prospectively registered on April 20, 2020, with the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00021446)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2024
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