PICOT Question and Early Integration of Palliative Care
Background Questions and PICOT Question
The focus of my research is on the integration of palliative care and the importance of initiating conversations with patients diagnosed with terminal illnesses. The background questions guiding my research are:
- When should discussions about palliative care begin?
- Does initiating palliative care conversations early lead to a better quality of life?
- What key discussions must patients have to acquire the knowledge necessary for informed decisions about advanced care planning?
My PICOT question is as follows:
- P (Population): Patients diagnosed with a terminal illness
- I (Intervention): Early integration of the palliative care team and proactive palliative care conversations facilitated by an interdisciplinary team
- C (Comparison): Early palliative care discussions and advanced care planning versus minimal conversations combined with aggressive treatment options
- O (Outcomes): A preference for opting out of aggressive treatment and an improvement in quality of life at the end of life
- T (Time): The last six months of life
PICOT Question
In patients with terminal illnesses, what is the effect of early palliative care conversations initiated by the interdisciplinary team compared to minimal discussions combined with aggressive treatment options on the quality of the last six months of life?
Barriers to the Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice