Improvement of Primary Palliative Care in GP Practices - Evaluation of the Intervention Study ALLPRAX

Background Despite a high demand for general outpatient palliative care, there is a lack of practical approaches for a targeted integration in GP practices. The aim of this study is to evaluate measures for improving general outpatient palliative care from the perspective of GP practice teams. Methods Qualitative evaluation of the implementation study ALLPRAX with seven GP practice teams using the Normalization Process Theory. Results The needs of patients receiving palliative care and their relatives could be better identified by means of an initial palliative care assessment and crisis questionnaire. The provision of handouts for counselling and information of patients and relatives was evaluated as helpful. In contrast, the integration of measures with a high workload was rarely successful. Conclusions Measures to improve general outpatient palliative care should be easy to integrate and, in addition to the needs of patients, specifically take the burdens of relatives into account.