title: Do patients and carers find separate palliative care clinic consultations acceptable? A pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As differing patient and carer information needs have been reported, and in light of changing health-system priorities and issues identified in a self-assessment study, a specialist palliative care service established an interdisciplinary psychosocial assessment clinic to separately assess patient and carer needs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the acceptability of the separate assessment to patients and carers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with a high functional score and who were deemed well enough to manage an appointment were invited to attend the clinic. Consent to follow-up was obtained. Patient and carer satisfaction surveys were developed based on existing tools. Questionnaires were posted out with a pre-paid reply envelope to patients and carers. Data from completed surveys was entered into a data management system and frequency analysis completed. A secondary analysis of the comments was undertaken.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The clinic was attended by 41 patients and 37 carers between September 2011 and the end of February 2012. There was a 46% response rate, with 24 questionnaires returned from both the patient and their carer, 6 from patients only, and 6 from carers only (2 of whom were bereaved). The opportunity for privacy to discuss their own fears and concerns related to the illness was appreciated by 94% of the patients and 83% of the carers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This initial pilot data shows patient and carer satisfaction with this clinic model. Further qualitative data would provide more information on the patient and carer experiences of the clinic.
authors.affiliation: Service Director, Southern Adelaide Palliative Care Service, and Lecturer, Flinders University, 700 Goodwood Road, Daw Park, South Australia, 5041, Australia.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Swetenham
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tieman
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Currow
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers; D005246:Feedback; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care; D010361:Patients; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013021:South Australia
keywords: Carer; Communication; Outpatient clinic; Palliative care; Psychosocial