Sara Ela

Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya

Author Statistics

Papers

Citation

H-Index

i-10 index

Research Trends

Author Order

Document Type

Co-Authors

Xavier Gómez-Batiste

Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya

Cristina Lasmarías

Institut Català d'Oncologia

Dolors Mateo-Ortega

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Elba Beas

Institut Català d'Ornitologia

Jordi Amblàs-Novellas

Government of Catalonia

Xavier Costa

Hospital de Figueres

Sebastià Santaeugènia

Government of Catalonia

Amor Aradilla‐Herrero

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Joaquín T. Limonero

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Anna Novellas

Institut Català d'Oncologia

Cooperative Institutions

Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya

Institut Català d'Oncologia

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Government of Catalonia

Institut Català d'Ornitologia

Departament de Salut

Universitat de Barcelona

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge

Duran i Reynals Hospital

Author Statistics

Papers

Citation

H-Index

i-10 index

Research Field

Development of Palliative Care: Past, Present, and Future

Springer eBooks (2018)

Xavier Gómez-Batiste Jordi Amblàs-Novellas Xavier Costa Cristina Lasmarías Sebastià Santaeugènia

Foundation (evidence)

10.1007/978-3-319-31738-0_2-1

Cite

Citations (1)

Enhancing psychosocial and spiritual palliative care: Four-year results of the program of comprehensive care for people with advanced illnesses and their families in Spain

Palliative & Supportive Care (2016)

Xavier Gómez-Batiste Dolors Mateo-Ortega Cristina Lasmarías Anna Novellas José Espinosa

We aimed to describe the overall quantitative and qualitative results of a "La Caixa" Foundation and World Health Organization Collaborating Center Program entitled "Comprehensive Care for Patients with Advanced Illnesses and their Families" after four years of experience.Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed to assess the program. Quasiexperimental, prospective, multicenter, single-group, and pretest/posttest methods were utilized to assess the quantitative data. The effectiveness of psychosocial interventions was assessed at baseline (visit 1) and after four follow-up visits. The following dimensions were assessed: mood state, discomfort, anxiety, degree of adjustment or adaptation to disease, and suffering. We also assessed the four dimensions of the spiritual pain scale: faith or spiritual beliefs, valuable faith or spiritual beliefs, meaning in life, and peace of mind/forgiveness. Qualitative analyses were performed via surveys to evaluate stakeholder satisfaction.We built 29 psychosocial support teams involving 133 professionals-mainly psychologists and social workers. During the study period, 8,964 patients and 11,810 family members attended. Significant improvements were observed in the psychosocial and spiritual dimensions assessed. Patients, family members, and stakeholders all showed high levels of satisfaction.This model of psychosocial care could serve as an example for other countries that wish to improve psychosocial and spiritual support. Our results confirm that specific psychosocial interventions delivered by well-trained experts can help to ease suffering and discomfort in end-of-life and palliative care patients, particularly those with high levels of pain or emotional distress.

Spiritual care

10.1017/s1478951516000857

Cite

Citations (8)

Chair ICO/UVIC-UCC of palliative care at the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia: an innovative multidisciplinary model of education, research and knowledge transfer

BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care (2018)

Xavier Gómez-Batiste Cristina Lasmarías Jordi Amblàs-Novellas Xavier Costa Sara Ela

Generation and dissemination of knowledge is a relevant challenge of palliative care (PC). The Chair Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO)/University of Vic (UVIC) of Palliative Care (CPC) was founded in 2012, as a joint project of the ICO and the University of Vic/Central of Catalonia to promote the development of PC with public health and community-oriented vision and academic perspectives. The initiative brought together professionals from a wide range of disciplines (PC, geriatrics, oncology, primary care and policy) and became the first chair of PC in Spain. We describe the experience of the CPC at its fifth year of implementation.Data collection from annual reports, publications, training and research activities.Results for period 2012-2017 are classified into three main blocks: (1) Programme: (a) The advanced chronic care model (Palliative needs (NECPAL)); (b) the psychosocial and spiritual domains of care (Psychosocial needs (PSICPAL)); (c) advance care planning and shared decision making (Advance care planning (PDAPAL)); and (d) the compassive communities projects (Society involvement (SOCPAL)). (2) Education and training activities: (a) The master of PC, 13 editions and 550 professionals trained; (b) postgraduate course on psychosocial care, 4 editions and 140 professionals trained; and (c) workshops on specific topics, pregraduate training and online activities with a remarkable impact on the Spanish-speaking community. (3) Knowledge-transfer activities and research projects: (a) Development of 20 PhDs projects; and (b) 59 articles and 6 books published.Being the first initiative of chair in PC in Spain, the CPC has provided a framework of multidisciplinary areas that have generated innovative experiences and projects in PC.

Knowledge Transfer

10.1136/bmjspcare-2018-001656

Cite

Citations (4)

Development and implementation of an advance care planning program in Catalonia, Spain

Palliative & Supportive Care (2018)

Cristina Lasmarías Amor Aradilla‐Herrero Sebastià Santaeugènia Carles Blay Sara Delgado

Abstract Objective Implementation of an advance care planning (ACP) program for people with advanced chronic conditions is a complex process. The aims of this paper are to describe (1) the development of the ACP program in Catalonia, Spain, for patients with advanced chronic conditions and complex needs and (2) the preliminary results of the implementation of this program in health and social services. Method The ACP program was developed and implemented in a four-stage process as follows: (1) design and organization of the project; (2) selection of the professionals to carry out the project; (3) creation of four working groups to develop the conceptual model, guidelines, training program, and perform a qualitative evaluation; and (4) project implementation. Result The following deliverables were completed: (1) conceptual framework document; (2) practical guidelines for the application of the ACP; (3) online training course (3,763 healthcare professionals completed the online course, with an overall satisfaction rating of 8.4 on a 10-point scale); and (4) additional training activities (conferences, short courses, and seminars) in between 2015 and 2017. Significance of results This project was led by the Catalan Ministry of Health. The strengths of the project development include the contribution of a wide range of professionals from the entire region, approval by the Catalan Bioethics Committee and the Social Services Ethics Committee, and the ongoing validation by members of the community. A standardized online training course was offered to all primary care professionals and included as a quality indicator for continuing education for those professionals in the period 2016–2020. The main outcome of this project is the establishment of a pragmatic ACP throughout the region and training of the health and social care professionals involved in the care of advanced chronic patients.

Deliverable

Advance Care Planning

Bioethics

10.1017/s1478951518000561

Cite

Citations (15)

P72 Translation into spanish, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of an advance care planning self-efficacy scale: preliminary results

Poster presentations (2019)

Cristina Lasmarías Amor Aradilla‐Herrero Mireia Subirana‐Casacuberta Sara Ela Sara Delgado

Background

Advance Care Planning (ACP) explores patients' values and preferences to plan their care. Barriers for healthcare professionals to start it include fear to talk about end of life or lack of communication skills. Self-efficacy (SE) is a key factor that impacts learning about ACP. Measuring SE would show the impact of training to acquire ACP competencies. The ACP SE scale (ACP_SEs) of 17 items was validated in 2017; there aren't similar validated tools in Spanish.

Methods

The ACP_SEs was forward-backward translated. 10 ACP local experts tested it for clarity and comprehensibility. Validation: we designed a survey with 4 dimensions: sociodemographic variables; knowledge and self-perception on ACP; type of patients attended; 4 scales to predictive validity: ACP_SEs (Baughman, 2017); Trait Meta-Mood_s 24 (Salovey and Mayer, 1995); Personal Competence_s (Wallston, 1992); Coping with Death_s (Bugen, 1980). Participants: 5,500 professionals from 4 scientific societies: Palliative and Primary Care (3 societies); Geriatrics/Gerontologic (1society). Reliability will be determined by intraclass correlation coefficients, the measurement will be compared by T'Student and internal consistency by Cronbach's α. Test-retest reliability will be quantified with a 4-week interval.

Results

After the translation/adaptation process, the ACP_SEs has 19 items. New variables include to involve patients in ACP and to register ACP adequately. In a pilot with 47 professionals, consistency was α=0.909. The results will confirm the scale's validity and show how professionals rate the ACP process.

Conclusion

A validated ACP_SEs in Spanish will allow measuring the impact of training programs designed to implement ACP in the Spanish-speaking context.

Advance Care Planning

10.1136/spcare-2019-acpicongressabs.152

Cite

Citations (0)

Effectiveness of Psychosocial Interventions in Complex Palliative Care Patients: A Quasi-Experimental, Prospective, Multicenter Study

Journal of Palliative Medicine (2018)

Dolors Mateo-Ortega Xavier Gómez-Batiste Jorge Maté-Méndez Elba Beas Sara Ela

To determine whether specific psychosocial interventions can ease discomfort in palliative care (PC) patients, particularly in those with high levels of pain or emotional distress.Changes in the psychological parameters of 8333 patients were assessed in a quasi-experimental, prospective, multicenter, single group pretest/post-test study. Psychosocial care was delivered by 29 psychosocial care teams (PSTs; 137 professionals). Pre- and post-intervention changes in these variables were assessed: mood, anxiety, and emotional distress. Patients were classified as complex, when presented with high levels of anxiety, mood, suffering (or perception of time as slow), and distress (or unease, or discomfort), or noncomplex. These groups were compared to assess changes in suffering-related parameters from baseline.Psychosocial interventions reduced patients' suffering. These interventions were more effective in complex patients.After successive psychosocial interventions, the level of suffering in complex patients decreased until close to parity with noncomplex patients, suggesting that patients with major complexity could benefit most from specific psychosocial treatment. These findings support the importance of assessing and treating patients' psychosocial needs.

10.1089/jpm.2017.0355

Cite

Citations (16)

Development of a tool to identify and assess psychosocial and spiritual needs in end-of-life patients: The ENP-E scale

Palliative & Supportive Care (2018)

Dolors Mateo-Ortega Joaquín T. Limonero Jorge Maté-Méndez Elba Beas Jesús González‐Barboteo

Abstract Objective The goal of this study is to describe the development of a new tool, the Psychosocial and Spiritual Needs Evaluation scale Instrumento de Evaluación de Necesidades Psicosociales y Espirituales del Enfermo al Final de Vida (ENP-E), designed to assess the psychosocial needs of end-of-life (EOL) patients. And, secondarily, to describe the face validity and psychometric properties of this instrument in the Spanish-speaking context. Method The scale was developed through a seven-stage process: (1) literature review; (2) expert panel establishment; (3) discussion and agreement on the most relevant dimensions of psychosocial care; (4) description of key indicators and consensus-based questions to evaluate such dimensions; (5) assessment of the scale by external palliative care (PC) professionals; (6) evaluation by patients; and (7) analysis of scale's psychometrics properties. To assess content validity, 30 PC professionals and 20 patients evaluated the questionnaire. To determine psychometric properties, 150 participants completed these scales: the ENP-E; the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; item 15 from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 15 Palliative; and the Distress Thermometer. Result All respondents evaluated the tool as “excellent.” In terms of construct validity, the internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.74) and temporal stability (test-retest r = 0.74, p < 0.1) were both adequate. On the factorial analysis, four factors (emotional-wellbeing, social support, spiritual, and information) explained 58.4% of the variance. This scale has a sensitivity of 76.3%, specificity of 78.9%, and the cutoff is 28. Significance of results To provide quality PC to EOL patients, it is essential to determine the psychosocial factors that influence well-being. This requires the use of reliable and specific instruments. The ENP-E is a novel tool that provides a systematic, holistic assessment of the psychosocial needs of EOL patients. Its routine use would allow clinicians to monitor such needs over time. This would, in turn, permit comprehensive, highly individualized interventions to improve effective PC approach.

Spiritual care

10.1017/s1478951518000652

Cite

Citations (9)

The WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Palliative Care Programs: An Innovative Approach of Palliative Care Development

Journal of Palliative Medicine (2014)

Sara Ela José Espinosa Marisa Martínez-Muñoz Cristina Lasmarías Elba Beas

The designation of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (Barcelona, Spain) as World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Public Health Palliative Care Programmes (WHOCC-ICO) in February 2008 turns the institution into the first ever center of international reference in regards to palliative care implementation from a public health perspective. The center aims to provide support to countries willing to develop palliative care programs, to identify models of success, to support WHO's policies, and to generate and spread evidence on palliative care.This article describes the WHOCC-ICO's contribution in the implementation of public health palliative care programs and services. The center's main features and future actions are emphasized.At the end of the initial four-year designation period, the organization evaluates the task done to reach its objectives. Such global assessment would take forward the quality of the institution, and generate a revision of its terms of reference for the next designation period.Based on new evidence, the center has recently decided to expand its scope by adopting a community-wide chronic care approach which moves beyond cancer and focuses on the early identification of patients with any chronic disease in need of palliative care. Moreover, the center advocates the development of comprehensive models of care that address patients' psychosocial needs. This center's new work plan includes additional significant innovations, such as the startup of the first chair of palliative care in Spain. Such a whole new approach responds to the main challenges of current palliative care.

Scope (computer science)

10.1089/jpm.2013.0203

Cite

Citations (10)

Development of Palliative Care: Past, Present, and Future

Springer eBooks (2019)

Xavier Gómez-Batiste Jordi Amblàs-Novellas Xavier Costa Cristina Lasmarías Sebastià Santaeugènia

10.1007/978-3-319-77740-5_2

Cite

Citations (5)