Protocol for referring patients with cervical cancer to palliative care

Abstract

Patients with advanced cervical cancer require healthcare resources to manage symptoms, including palliative care. The aim of this research was to develop, validate and assess a protocol for early and/or timely palliative care for these patients. The study occurred in three phases: 1) A committee of experts developed the initial protocol based on relevant literature and clinical experience; 2) The protocol was validated by a Consensus of medical experts using the Delphi method; 3) Applicability was retrospectively evaluated in women with stage III and IV cervical cancer. Twenty-one specialists participated, and the protocol underwent three validation stages. In the end, 16 clinical criteria were deemed relevant, identifying 25.9% for early palliative care and 57.7% for timely care, among 189 patients. Among those who died without palliative care referral, 58.8% met criteria for timely referral and 26.3% for early referral. It is concluded that the developed and validated protocol is useful for early and/or timely referral of patients with advanced cervical cancer to palliative care.