„Besonders qualifizierte und koordinierte palliativmedizinische Versorgung“ (BQKPMV): Hausärztliche Erfahrungen Eine Befragung in Niedersachsen.

Background In 2017, the agreement on an intermediate level of outpatient palliative care (BQKPMV) emerged. It is unclear what role BQKPMV plays in healthcare practice and what experiences family physicians have with the implementation. Methods In September 2021, all 5012 family physicians in Lower Saxony were invited to participate in an online or paper-based questionnaire survey on the implementation of BQKPMV. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and frequency analyses. Results With 665 responses, a participation rate of 13 % was achieved. Data from 642 family physicians were included in the analysis. 13 % of the respondents (n = 84) are aware of BQKPMV. 71% of the participants with knowledge of BQKPMV (n = 58) have decided not to participate in the agreement. Thirty-eight of these family physicians justify this by saying that they consider the existing forms of outpatient palliative care to be sufficient. More than half of the participants see difficulties in the practical implementation. Conclusions The results of the survey of family physicians in Lower Saxony indicate that BQKPMV is rarely used in the clinical practice of the participants. Respondents see limitations in the feasibility of BQKPMV. Due to the rather low response rate and the regional connection, reliable nationwide conclusions about the reality of care can only be drawn to a limited extent. It is conceivable that, in addition to providing all family physicians with low-threshold information about BQKPMV, the framework conditions of BQKPMV need to be adjusted, e.g. in the areas of qualification requirements, remuneration and the distribution of tasks. Recommendations for optimising BQKPMV are developed in the overall project and enable a comprehensive evaluation of the implementation of this form of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]