InterRAI assessments: opportunities to recognise need for and implementation of palliative care interventions in the last year of life?

OBJECTIVES

To explore how interRAI assessments could be used to identify opportunities to integrate palliative care into a plan of care.

METHODS

A population-based, cross-sectional design using unique identifiers to link deaths with a national interRAI database. Data were analysed using logistic regression models and chi-square tests.

RESULTS

A total of 4869 people died over a 12-month period in one district health board area; 50.9% (n = 2478) received one or more interRAI assessments in the year before death. Diagnosis impacted on the type and timing of interRAI assessments and the recognition of end-stage disease.

CONCLUSION

People in the last year of life experience frequent interRAI assessments. There are opportunities to identify people who might benefit from a palliative care approach. Future research is needed to understand how interRAI assessors can be supported in the application of assessment items related to palliative care.