CareSearch updates

As part of the CareSearch Portal Project we are updating the My Learning Modules about finding and using evidence in practice. Today we have added My Learning: Finding Clinical Guidance to the list of currently available modules and will continue to add other titles across the month of November.

As part of the CareSearch Launch, we invited and received many different questions, which we are keen to answer.  This update looks at the role and understanding of palliative care.

• How do we increase the uptake for requests for palliative care specialists to offer guidance and information earlier in the ‘treatment’ process?
• Why evidence is necessary for policy makers and how CareSearch can supports those in administrative roles responsible for strategic program development?

We all need access to evidence and information to help us make decisions. Understanding how palliative care can improve the quality of living for people even as they come to the end of their life can help patients and their families be more open to what palliative care offers.  Sharing research about the benefits of palliative care with community members and with other health professionals can also help in increasing requests and referrals. Patients, families, and community members can easily find information on what palliative care is and how it can help.

Providing evidence on the value of palliative care and the outcomes for individuals and health systems can support policy makers in their planning. Policy makers now have easy access to evidence in the Evidence and Translation Centre. They can easily find systematic reviews on a range of topics or use QuickSearch to run a tailored PubMed search for studies in palliative care.  There are even palliative care specific searches on the costs of care.

As part of the CareSearch Launch, we invited those registering to highlight questions they had about palliative care and the CareSearch project. We are keen to share the questions and our responses with the community. This update looks at ageing and aged care.

• What resources are available to help in medication management for residents who at different stages of palliation?
• What can be done to improve consistency of access to palliative care medicines in rural and remote aged care facilities in Australia?
• What support are available to enable Palliative Care Needs Rounds by specialist palliative care teams into residential aged care facilities?

Various questions spoke to the need for information about ageing, caring, and dying. Population ageing is a significant driver on health policy and on planning and providing palliative care. Ageing has become more topical given Covid19 and a Royal Commission into Quality and Safety in Aged Care. 
CareSearch is responsible for the palliAGED website and is part of the ELDAC consortium. These two partner projects provide a wealth of information for the aged care workforce on advance care planning and palliative care within the aged care context. palliAGED includes a section on Symptoms and Medicines and there are Practice Tip Sheets for Nurses and Careworkers. ELDAC houses five toolkits including specific toolkits for residential aged care and homecare.
It is not only the aged care workforce that needs information and the new Older Australia Hub helps older people and families navigate the issues around getting older, dementia, need for aged care services and end of life.   The Palliative Perspectives blog includes categories relating to residential aged care, older Australia, and aged care in the home. It even has blogs relating to Palliative Care Needs Rounds!