Background: This study analyzed data from a cohort of individuals living in outer regional areas who accessed Palliative Care Connect (PCC), a palliative care navigation program in South Australia. Methods: Demographic and diagnosis data were collected from palliative patients who accessed PCC. Navigation-specific data, reasons for contacting the service, main supports provided, and the main navigation outcomes achieved were collected for each episode of care delivered to an individual living in outer regional areas of South Australia who accessed PCC. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t -test, and chi-square test were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 30. Results: Data from 124 outer regional patients were analyzed. The mean age of the cohort was 72.11 ± 13.19 years. Of the patients, 78 (62.9%) were living with family, 32 (25.8%) were living alone, and for 7 (5.6%) patients, living arrangement data were missing. The remainder were living with friends (1.6%), in residential aged care facilities (2.45), in supported accommodation (0.8%), or were homeless (i.e., 0.8%). For most patients (85.8%), the initial contact (check-in) with the service was made by themselves or their family members. At check-in, most of the patients (58.9%) were in a stable phase according to the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration phases, followed by an unstable phase (18.5%) and a deteriorating phase (15.3%). The most frequent reasons for which patients contacted the service were navigating the health care system, carer support, coordination of community services, access to palliative care services, home-based care coordination, and psychosocial/emotional support. The main outcomes achieved were patient empowerment and informed decision-making, access to support services, advance care planning, improved care coordination, timely access to services, enhanced symptom management, and facilitation of home-based care. Conclusion: Findings highlight the important role of palliative care navigation programs in improving access, coordination, and support for patients in outer regional areas.
Swetenham et al. (Thu,) studied this question.