How to assess palliative care needs: Should we be taking a more creative approach?

PROGRAMME

Making a difference by identifying people with palliative care needs using SPICT

Dr Kirsty Boyd 

The 2022 Lancet Commission reminds us of the central role of a palliative care approach focused on holistic, value based care in enabling people to live and die well.  People around the world are still identified too late to benefit from early palliative care and proactive future planning for changes in their health, care or personal situation.  Using clinical indicators prompts clinicians and teams to identify people and their families who can benefit from palliative care and/or proactive, personalised care planning.  SPICT is a simple clinical tool designed to do this that is now available in many languages and in versions adapted to different countries and contexts including lower income settings (SPICT-LIS).  A version in lay language (SPICT-4ALL) empowers people to ask for more help and support and also suits residential care settings.  This…