What indicators are measured by tools designed to address palliative care competence among `generalist' palliative care providers? A critical literature review

摘要

Background: There is growing evidence that generalists may lack skills and knowledge in palliative carenprovision. This has led to consideration of what the core competencies for palliative care provision amongngeneralists should be.nAim: The objective of this review was to present the best available evidence related to indicators ofncompetence in palliative care provision.nMethod: A systematic review of both qualitative and quantitative literature was undertaken. Medline, Medlinenin Progress, PubMed and CINAHL databases with additional hand searches of Journal of Palliative Care,nPalliative Medicine, and the International Journal of Palliative Nursing were undertaken for the periodn1990–2010. Hawker et al.’s checklist was utilized to select and assess data.nResults: Nineteen of the 1361 articles met the inclusion criteria. The reviewed articles suggest a number ofnindicators of palliative care competence including: medical knowledge/skills, perceptions of knowledgeskills, confidence in palliative care skills, attitudes/opinions towards palliative care, and experience innpalliative care delivery. None of the reviewed research provided definitive evidence as to which indicatorsnbest reflect competency to practice.nConclusion: Multiple approaches, combined in a strategy of triangulation, must be incorporated in anynappraisal in order to successfully measure palliative care competence.