Implementing patient-centred outcome measures in palliative care clinical practice. An updated systematic review of facilitators and barriers

Background. Patient-centred outcome measures (PCOMs), when well implemented, are powerful tools facilitating patient, family and clinical communication to better respond to patient needs. Their routine use in palliative care practice still faces challenges. Objective. To update a systematic review of PCOMs implementation, reviewing and synthesising new evidence on facilitators, barriers, lessons learned, measures used, models of implementation, costs, implementation outcomes, and consequences in clinical practice. Methods. We searched eight information sources supplemented by hand-searching and citations of the original review and studies identified by the expert advisory committee. This prospectively registered review included studies using a PCOM during clinical care of adult patients with advanced disease in all settings and extracted data on: PCOMs used, models of implementation, facilitators, barriers, lessons learned, costs, and implementation outcomes. We employed narrative synthesis and tabulated findings, following all PRISMA reporting guidelines. Results. We included 114 studies. A major new facilitator was the integration of electronic/digital PCOMs into Information Technology systems. Main barriers remain largely unchanged and relate to healthcare professionals’ beliefs. Implementation was highlighted as a complex intervention, needing planning, assessment and fine tuning throughout. Sixty-two included studies mentioned at least one implementation outcome. Eighteen models, frameworks and theories were identified in 25 included studies. No studies reported on costs of implementation. Conclusion. This work reveals the complexity of implementing PCOMs in palliative care practice . The main clinical and research implications of our findings highlight the central importance of staff engagement and training staff in PCOM tools, communication strategies, and cultural competence.