title: Improving Palliative Care Team Meetings: Structure, Inclusion, and "Team Care".
abstract: Increasing demands on palliative care teams point to the need for continuous improvement to ensure teams are working collaboratively and efficiently. This quality improvement initiative focused on improving interprofessional team meeting efficiency and subsequently patient care. Meeting start and end times improved from a mean of approximately 9 and 6 minutes late in the baseline period, respectively, to a mean of 4.4 minutes late (start time) and ending early in our sustainability phase. Mean team satisfaction improved from 2.4 to 4.5 on a 5-point Likert-type scale. The improvement initiative clarified communication about patients' plans of care, thus positively impacting team members' ability to articulate goals to other professionals, patients, and families. We propose several recommendations in the form of a team meeting "toolkit."
authors: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center Nursing Department, Research and Practice Development Section, Bethesda, MD, USA Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA caitlin.brennan@nih.gov.
authors: Caitlin W
authors: CW
authors: Brennan
authors: Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA.
authors: Brittany
authors: B
authors: Kelly
authors: Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA.
authors: Lara Michal
authors: LM
authors: Skarf
authors: Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA.
authors: Rotem
authors: R
authors: Tellem
authors: Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA.
authors: Kathleen M
authors: KM
authors: Dunn
authors: Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA.
authors: Sheila
authors: S
authors: Poswolsky
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: efficiency; interprofessional; model for improvement; palliative care; quality improvement; team meeting