The Use of Palliative Care in the Management of Patients with Immunological Diseases.

Questionnaire-based study targeting internal medicine specialists in palliative care.

The purpose of this study is to examine the potential need for and use of palliative care by internal medicine specialists in the management of patients with serious, progressive, life-threatening immunological diseases.This is a quantitative questionnaire-based study designed to assess the practices and needs of internists in this area. 

Target population: Physicians working in an internal medicine or palliative care department who care for patients with serious, progressive, life-threatening immunological diseases. By immunological diseases, we mean autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases, immune deficiencies, and benign hematological clonal proliferations (histiocytoses, etc.).

The primary objective of the study is to assess whether internists believe that consulting a palliative care team can be useful in the management of serious, progressive, life-threatening immunological diseases.

The secondary objectives are:
- To quantify this potential demand
- To describe the characteristics of the requesting professionals (in terms of status, practice location, seniority, gender, and experience in managing immunological diseases). 
- To assess the time interval between the potential referral to the palliative care team and death
- To assess the ease with which internists discuss end-of-life care with their patients. 
- Assess the impact of requests for care by palliative care teams. 
- Assess the use of advance directives in internal medicine
- Assess the considerations regarding resuscitation status for patients with immunological diseases when hospitalized
- Assess the perceptions of palliative care professionals regarding the care of these patients.

Learn more:
https://osf.io/n9c4k/overview