POMSNAME: an aide-mémoire to improve the assessment and documentation of palliative care – a longitudinal project

Abstract

Abstract Background Evidence-based palliative care requires comprehensive assessment and documentation. However, palliative care is not always systemically documented – this can have implications for team communication and patient wellbeing. The aim of this project was to determine the effectiveness of an aide-mémoire – POMSNAME – to prompt the comprehensive assessment of the following domains by clinicians: pain, orientation and oral health, mobility, social situation, nausea and vomiting, appetite, medication, and elimination. Methods A placard depicting the aide-mémoire was distributed to community-based nurses who received training and support. The case notes of palliative care patients were evaluated one month before the intervention, and was repeated at one month, eight months, and fifty months following the intervention. The 235 case notes pertained to patients who received palliative care from a team of 13 registered nurses at one community health service. Results The documented assessment of palliative care patients improved across all nine domains. The most significant improvements pertained to patients’ social situation, orientation, and nausea, eight months after the aide-mémoire was introduced (170.1%, 116.9%, and 105.6%, respectively, all at p < .001). Although oral health and medication assessment declined one-month after the aide-mémoire was introduced (-41.7% and-2.1%, respectively), both subsequently improved, thereafter, at both 8 months and 50 months after the aide-mémoire was introduced. Conclusions The improvement of palliative care documentation across all nine domains demonstrates the potential of the POMSNAME aide-mémoire to prompt the comprehensive assessment of patients by clinicians with generalist expertise. Research is required to determine whether other domains warrant inclusion and how.