Identifying unmet palliative care needs of nursing home residents: A scoping review

Introduction Many nursing home residents do not receive timely palliative care despite their need and eligibility for such care. Screening tools as well as other methods and guidelines can facilitate early identification of nursing home residents unmet palliative care needs. Aim To map and summarise the evidence on identifying unmet palliative care needs of nursing home residents. Methods Any paper reporting on nursing home residents’ unmet palliative care needs were eligible for inclusion. CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, APA PsycINFO, and APA PsycArticles and grey literature were systematically searched over two months, February and March 2024. Data were extracted using data extraction forms. Data were synthesised using descriptive analysis and basic content analysis. Results Forty six records were included in this review. Nineteen methods, five screening tools, and four guidelines related to identifying residents unmet palliative care needs were identified. Most methods such as the Minimum Data Set and Palliative Care Needs Rounds were implemented as part of an intervention. Limited evidence was identified on what methods healthcare professionals use in daily practice. In total, 117 non-disease specific indicators for identifying residents unmet palliative care needs were identified, with physical indicators such as pain and weight loss being the most represented. Conclusion While developments have been made related to the concept of ‘unmet palliative care needs’, a clear definition is required. Evidence-based standardisation of methods for identifying unmet palliative care needs would ensure timely and equitable access to palliative care for nursing home residents worldwide. Achieving this goal requires incorporating screening for unmet palliative care needs into routine care.