Is a STAS-based tool valid to triage patients at a specialist palliative care inpatient unit?

JY Fergus, Cameron; S Nicol, Jacqueline; B Russell, Papiya

Abstract

Many tools exist to assess the symptoms and needs of palliative
care patients, but no tool has been validated to prioritise patients
referred for specialist inpatient palliative care. The aim of this
study was to produce and validate such a tool.
A prospective pilot study produced a Support Team Assessment
Schedule- (STAS-) based tool – the Admission Assessment Tool
(AAT) – and compared this with the existing system of triage at
the Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh. Validity of the tool was not
confirmed and the tool was modified and re-evaluated.
One hundred and twenty-seven consecutive patients referred
to the hospice received three AAT scores: from the bed
manager; the admitting doctor; and the admitting nurse. The
hospice’s multidisciplinary team assessed the urgency of each
patient’s admission.
The overall correct classification rate was approximately two
thirds, but false positive rates were high and there was poor interrater correlation. It is concluded the AAT has not been validated.

Citation

JY Fergus, C., S Nicol, J. & B Russell, P. (2007). Is a STAS-based tool valid to triage patients at a specialist palliative care inpatient unit?. International Journal of Palliative Nursing. 14. (1). 34-39. . ISSN 1357-6321.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 1, 2008
• Publication Date: 2008-01
• Deposit Date: Nov 1, 2016
• Journal: International Journal of Palliative Nursing
• Print ISSN: 1357-6321
• Publisher: Mark Allen Healthcare
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 34-39
• Keywords: Palliative care, specialist inpatient Palliative care, Support Team Assessment Schedule,
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/410588