A Systematic Review of the Use of the Palliative Care Outcome Scale and the Support Team Assessment Schedule in Palliative Care

Abstract

The POS and STAS are now used in a wide variety of settings and countries. These tools may be used in the future to compare palliative care needs and quality of care across diverse contexts and patient groups.

Authors' Reply to Rady and Verheijde

“…The major measurement tool for dose adjustments is, in this proposed protocol, not the RASS, but the direct measure of symptom intensity, such as Support Team Assessment Schedule and Palliative Care Outcome Scale. 2 We agree on the importance of the RASS, but in the clinical situation, some patients with RASS of 0 may experience e12…”

“…Widely used definitions of PS refer to the use of sedative drugs in dying patients to induce a state of decreased or absent awareness (unconsciousness) so as to relieve intolerable suffering from refractory symptoms. 2,3 For many clinicians, this will conjure up an image of a severely distressed patient in the last hours or days of life who is rendered unconscious as a result of the symptomatic need for repeated doses of sedatives.…”

Promoting further use of palliative care in cancer care centers

“…For psychological symptoms, the HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and POMS (Profile of Mood States), for prognosis, the Palliative Prognostic Index or Scale, and also for family satisfaction and quality of care, the FAMCARE tool [40]. The POS and STAS with the ESAS are widely used in a variety of settings internationally and can be used to compare palliative-care needs and quality of care [41]. It is important though not to overburden patient and family with Structure and process of care centered on organization of services, multiple services for continuity and training Physical care -assessment and management of symptoms Psychological care -assessing and managing anxiety, depression, delirium, and demoralization Social care -care of family members, informal care givers Spiritual/religious/existential/meaning-based care Care within culture -locus of decision-making within family ethnically sensitive care regarding disclosure, truth telling, language Care of the imminently dying Ethically responsible care -advanced care planning, goals of care, truthfulness within communication Table 3.…”

Psychometric properties of the Czech Integrated Palliative Outcome Scale: Reliability and content validity analysis

“…POS-S was developed as an addition to POS to be used as a brief tool specifically focused on physical symptoms (11). There are also specific variations of POS for dementia or renal failure patients, (POS S-Renal, POS S-Multiple Sclerosis, POS S-Parkinson Disease) (5). IPOS is the youngest instrument from the POS family which merges questions from POS and POS-S as it was requested from clinicians (11).…”