Multiprofessional team approach in palliative care units in Japan

Health-care providers engaged in palliative care experience difficulty with the practice of team care. However, the details of the difficulties have not been not clarified. To obtain an overview of team care in the Japanese palliative inpatient care setting, a descriptive and cross-sectional study was performed. The participants were physicians, nurses, dietitians, medical social workers (MSWs), and pharmacists. A representative from each discipline was selected. They were asked about their participation in services provided by government-approved palliative care units (PCUs) and the practice of team care. A total of 38 institutions participated in this study. In these institutions, 97% of physicians, 37% of dietitians, 39% of MSWs, 27% of pharmacists, and 13% of physical therapists attended PCU care meetings once a week or more, and 35% of religious workers and 11% of counselors attended. About 70% of institutions held regular care meetings with more than three types of health-care providers. Physicians and nurses had different perceptions regarding the practice of team care. The former had a positive perception of team care and the latter had a negative perception. In addition, nurses' perception of overall team care was related to their perception of care meetings (P=0.052) and the number of types of professional participating in care meetings (P=0.054). To promote team care in the Japanese palliative care setting, it is necessary to consider a practical standard of team care, and to conduct effective care meetings.