Inter-rater reliability and acceptability of the phases of palliative care

[extract] The concept of palliative care consisting of five distinct, clinically meaningful, phases of care was developed in Australia about 20 years ago and has since become widely used to facilitate clinical communication, improve quality of care and fund services. Only one previous study of the inter-rater reliability of Palliative Care Phase has been published. The definitions for each of the five phases (stable, unstable, deteriorating, terminal, bereaved) were revised in 2011, prompting the need for the current study.