Recognising change and that a person could benefit from palliative care is an important part of high quality care and tools that can assist with assessment are listed below.
Palliative care referral is needs-based. If the care needs of the person cannot be managed by the local care team, think about referral. Specialist palliative care services can have different referral practices. Palliative Care Australia maintains a national directory of palliative care services. You can check their referral criteria and if they have a specific form. You may also need input from other professionals such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, social workers or psychologists. healthdirect’s Service Finder can help you identify local providers.
Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT)
SPICT (315kb pdf) is used to help us identify people at risk of deteriorating and dying with one or multiple advanced illnesses for holistic, palliative care needs assessment and care planning.
SPICT4ALL (327kb pdf) is a second version of SPICT with less ‘medical’ language that can be used by patients, family carers and staff working in health
Over 75 assessment
For Australians aged 75 and over, a Medicare-funded 75+ Health Assessment enables a comprehensive review of health and well-being. It can help to identify potential health issues and needs.
The surprise question
This simple and feasible screening test may identify patients' palliative care needs: Would I be surprised if this patient died in the next 12 months? The surprise question is included in the CareSearchgp App which provides point of care access to a care framework centred on care planning, case conferencing and terminal care management plan (Palliative Care and End of Life Framework).
CareSearch
For additional practical guidance on patient assessment visit the CareSearch GP section.
CareSearch Clinical Evidence section on patient management provides a review of the evidence on recognising the last months of life.
Resources for family and friends
The booklet Supporting a person who needs palliative care: A guide for family and friends (319kb pdf) is a useful resource to introduce the subject of palliative care and what to expect.
You can also refer carers to the CarerHelp website or provide them with factsheets from the CarerHelp Information Kit for Services.
The CareSearch Community Centre has a range of information in its Patients and carers section, including a booklet you can order titled: Palliative care support for patients, carers, and families.
Page updated 12 March 2024