Episode of admitted patient care—palliative care phase, code N

Identifying and definitional attributes

• Health, Standard 25/01/2018
• Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, Standard 01/01/2018
• Tasmanian Health, Standard 19/05/2020

Value domain attributes

Representational attributes

Collection and usage attributes

The palliative care phase is the stage of the palliative care patient’s illness.

CODE 1   Stable

Patient problems and symptoms are adequately controlled by an established plan of care and:

• further interventions to maintain symptom control and quality of life have been planned and
• family/carer situation is relatively stable and no new issues are apparent.

CODE 2   Unstable

An urgent change in the plan of emergency treatment is required because:

• the patient experiences a new problem that was not anticipated in the existing plan of care, and/or
• the patient experiences a rapid increase in the severity of a current problem; and/or
• the family/ carers circumstances change suddenly impacting on patient care.

CODE 3   Deteriorating

The care plan is addressing anticipated needs but requires periodic review because:

• the patient's overall functional status is declining and
• the patient experiences a gradual worsening of an existing problemand/or
• the patient experiences a new but anticipated problem and/or
• the family/carers experience gradual worsening distress that impacts on the patient care.

CODE 4   Terminal

Death is likely within days.

CODE 9   Not stated/inadequately described

The phase of the illness has not been reported.

Palliative care phases are not sequential and a patient may move back and forth between phases.

Source and reference attributes

Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration 2014. Palliative care outcomes collaboration: Clinical manual. Wollongong: University of Wollongong. 

Data element attributes

Collection and usage attributes

The bereavement phase of palliative care must not be recorded when reporting this data element.

The type of phase is to be recorded at the start of the episode of admitted patient palliative care and for every subsequent change in phase thereafter during the same admitted patient episode.

The palliative care provider reviews the patient daily (or at each visit) and records phase changes if and when they occur during the episode.

Source and reference attributes

Independent Hospital Pricing Authority

Green J, Gordon R, Kobel C, Blanchard M and Eagar K. 2015. AN-SNAP V4 User Manual. Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, Sydney. Viewed 23 August 2017, https://www.ihpa.gov.au/sites/g/files/net636/f/Documents/an-snap_classification_version_4_user_manual.pdf

Relational attributes