Needs-based triggers for timely referral to palliative care for older adults severely affected by noncancer conditions: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

Table 4 Criteria for palliative care referral

Study, year [reference]	Time-based criteria		Needs-based criteria			Treatment	Others
Study, year [reference]	Diagnostic criteria	Prognostic criteria	Symptoms	Functional status	QOL	Medical history	Others
Ahronheim, 2000 [35]	+			+		+
Aiken, 2006 [48]	+	+	+			+
Bajwah, 2015 [49]	+
Bekelman, 2018 [36]			+	+	+	+
Bassi, 2021 [37]	+	+
Brännström, 2014 [50]	+	+	+		+	+
Brumley, 2007 [51]	+	+		+		+
Eggers, 2018 [52]	+
Evans, 2021 [53]	+		+	+		+	+
Farquhar, 2009 [54]	+		+				+
Farquhar, 2016 [55]	+		+				+
Gade, 2008 [38]	+	+
Gao, 2020 [56]	+		+
Hanson, 2019 [39]	+					+
Helgeson, 2022 [40]	+	+		+		+	+
Higginson, 2014 [57]	+		+				+
Janssen, 2019 [58]	+					+
Janssen, 2020 [41]	+
Kluger, 2020 [42]	+		+	+			+
O'Donnell, 2018 [43]	+					+
O'Riordan, 2019 [44]	+					+
Rogers, 2017 [45]	+	+	+			+
Scheerens, 2020 [59]	+		+	+		+
Schunk, 2021 [46]	+		+	+
Sidebottom, 2015 [47]	+
Ng, 2018 [60]	+	+	+			+
Wong, 2016 [61]	+	+	+			+
Total, n (%)	26 (96)	9 (33)	14 (52)	8 (30)	2 (7)	15 (55)	6 (22)

Note: Plus signs indicate that study used the criterion; blank cells indicate that study did not use the criterion
Abbreviation: QOL Quality of life

ISSN: 1472-684X