Abstract
Background: The global need for palliative care continues to grow but responding to individual need is a widely recognised problem. RUN-PC1 is a triage tool that prioritises patients palliative care needs. A 7-itemcalculator considering physical, psychosocial, and caregiver domains, calculates a response time based on urgency. The RUN-PC calculator was implemented into the digital records and used by triage nurses for all community referrals.
Aim/Research question or hypothesis: To implement RUN-PC into a UK hospice community service and evaluate the impact on triage, patient flow and allocation of home visits based on urgency of need.
Methods: The RUN-PC calculator was implemented into the community team digital triage system. Following a teaching and implementation workshop and pre-intervention audit and staff survey, a full service evaluation was conducted using PDSA service evaluation methodology. Statistical analysis identified time from referral to triage and triage to visit, compliance, accuracy, appropriateness and referral demographics of responses times. Content analysis of clinical notes highlighted red flags, clinical intuition and service gaps.
Results: RUN-PC is feasible and appropriate for community hospice tri-age. The tool helped to streamline the referral process and improve transparency within the hospice service. The overall efficiency of acceptance and admission was improved with the RUN-PC offering a measurable and reliable wait time and providing staff with increased confidence in the triage process. Further refinement is needed for crisis patients to ensure urgent needs are prioritised and met accordingly.
Discussion: Triage is important to identify urgency, allocate resources and meet palliative care needs. RUN-PC is a useful tool to understand clinical urgency for community patients being referred to hospice ser-vices but the service evaluation highlights the need for more integrated end of life care across the region so that end of life care needs can be responded to with a 24-7 system.
1Russell et al. J Pain Symptom Manage.2024;67(3):260-268.
Aim/Research question or hypothesis: To implement RUN-PC into a UK hospice community service and evaluate the impact on triage, patient flow and allocation of home visits based on urgency of need.
Methods: The RUN-PC calculator was implemented into the community team digital triage system. Following a teaching and implementation workshop and pre-intervention audit and staff survey, a full service evaluation was conducted using PDSA service evaluation methodology. Statistical analysis identified time from referral to triage and triage to visit, compliance, accuracy, appropriateness and referral demographics of responses times. Content analysis of clinical notes highlighted red flags, clinical intuition and service gaps.
Results: RUN-PC is feasible and appropriate for community hospice tri-age. The tool helped to streamline the referral process and improve transparency within the hospice service. The overall efficiency of acceptance and admission was improved with the RUN-PC offering a measurable and reliable wait time and providing staff with increased confidence in the triage process. Further refinement is needed for crisis patients to ensure urgent needs are prioritised and met accordingly.
Discussion: Triage is important to identify urgency, allocate resources and meet palliative care needs. RUN-PC is a useful tool to understand clinical urgency for community patients being referred to hospice ser-vices but the service evaluation highlights the need for more integrated end of life care across the region so that end of life care needs can be responded to with a 24-7 system.
1Russell et al. J Pain Symptom Manage.2024;67(3):260-268.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1148-1148 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Palliative Medicine |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Early online date | 20 Apr 2026 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2026 |
| Event | The 20th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care - Prague, Czech Republic Duration: 14 May 2026 → 16 May 2026 https://eapcnet.eu/congress/2026 |
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Responding to Urgency in palliative care Needs in community hospice patients: a service evaluation of RUN-PC triage tool'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Cite this
- APA
- Author
- BIBTEX
- Harvard
- Standard
- RIS
- Vancouver