Creating a triage tool for palliative care: Contextual and methodological challenges | Dr Beth Russell

An overview of the body of research that developed a novel, evidence-based tool for palliative care triage – the Responding to Urgency of Need in Palliative Care (RUN-PC) Triage Tool.

Dr Beth Russell
Palliative Care Physician and PhD Candidate, Palliative Nexus
St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research

When there is only one bed left in the hospice or time for only one more home visit, which terminally ill patient should be attended to first?

This presentation will describe the body of research that developed a novel, evidence-based tool for palliative care triage – the Responding to Urgency of Need in Palliative Care (RUN-PC) Triage Tool. A qualitative exploration, an international online discrete choice experiment and a bespoke validation study demonstrate some of the complexities involved in developing a triage tool to improve transparency, efficiency and equity of access in the nuanced field of palliative care.

Dr Beth Russell is a palliative care physician with a passion for good research and a mission to improve access to quality palliative care for all who have need. She works in inpatient palliative care at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne and conducts research with Palliative Nexus at the University of Melbourne. Beth is currently undertaking a PhD under the supervision of Professor Jenny Philip and Professor Vijaya Sundararajan on the topic of triage in palliative care.