Artificial (Or Parenteral) Nutrition or Fluid in the Last 24 Hours of Life

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Palliative Care
Country
Sweden
Publishing Organisation
Swedish Register of Palliative Care
Type of Quality Indicator
Process
IOM Quality Dimension
Safety
Domain
Physical Aspects of Care

Defining Attributes

Definition

The withholding of artificial (or parenteral) nutrition/fluid in the last 24 h is perceived as good clinical practice and as a relevant quality indicator for care of the dying in Sweden.

The end of life questionnaire item to measure this indictor is: Did the person receive parenteral fluids/nutrition during the last 24 hours of life? Yes No Don't know.

Numerator

If calculating a negative outcome (i.e., having artificial or parenteral nutrition/fluid in the last 24 h nutrition/fluid in the last 24 h of life) the numerator would be calculated as the proportion of receiving artificial nutrition/fluid in the last 24 h of life). The inverse would be used if calculating a positive outcome (i.e., not having artificial or parenteral nutrition/fluid in the last 24 h nutrition/fluid in the last 24 h of life).

Denominator

If calculating a negative outcome (i.e., having artificial or artificial or parenteral nutrition/fluid in the last 24 h of life) the denominator would be calculated as the proportion who did not receive artificial or parenteral nutrition/fluid in the last 24 h of life. The inverse would be used if calculating a positive outcome (i.e., not having artificial or parenteral nutrition/fluid in the last 24 h of life).

Exclusions
Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments
Stratifications

Data Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Standardised clinical data
Data Collection Methods

The end-of-life questionnaire (ELQ) is the main source of register data in the Swedish Register of Palliative Care (SRPC). The ELQ is completed by healthcare staff after the death of a patient and focuses on the last week of life. Registration in the SRPC is web-based, but some units first complete a paper version of the ELQ which is later used to complete the web form. Limited other details were available in English about data collection processes for the measurement of this indicator in the Swedish Registry of Palliative Care.

Frequency of Data Collection
Continuous
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
1
Reporting Methods

Public reporting.

Reporting Frequency
Annually
Reporting Frequency in Days
365
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Evidence Source

Multiple sources:

palliativregistret.se/media/2ptn1rx4/d%C3%B6dsfallsenk%C3%A4t-220101-engelsk.pdf

Schelin ME, Sallerfors B, Rasmussen BH, Fürst CJ. Quality of care for the dying across different levels of palliative care development: A population-based cohort study. Palliat Med. 2018 Dec;32(10):1596-1604. doi: 10.1177/0269216318801251.

Technical Specifications
Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
12 March 2025