Identification of Patients With Advanced Chronic Diseases in Need of Palliative Care

NCT07387224 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: NECPAL_HU-Infanta Leonor
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 200
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

Patients with advanced chronic diseases often have complex health needs and may benefit from palliative care. However, many of these patients are not identified early enough to receive appropriate palliative care interventions. This prospective observational study aims to identify hospitalized patients and patients attending a day hospital with advanced chronic conditions who have palliative care needs, using the NECPAL tool. NECPAL is a validated screening instrument designed to identify patients with advanced chronic diseases who may benefit from palliative care, based on clinical indicators, disease progression, functional decline, and health care utilization. Adult patients with advanced oncological and non-oncological chronic diseases will be consecutively evaluated. The NECPAL tool will be applied by trained investigators as part of routine clinical assessment. Patients will be classified as NECPAL positive or NECPAL negative according to predefined criteria. The study will estimate the proportion of patients identified as NECPAL positive, describe their clinical characteristics, and analyze whether they are receiving palliative care. Secondary objectives include comparing clinical variables, comorbidity indices, and mortality between NECPAL-positive and NECPAL-negative patients over follow-up. The results of this study will provide information on the prevalence of palliative care needs among patients with advanced chronic diseases and support early identification strategies in hospital settings.

Conditions

Cancer; Chronic Liver Disease (CLD); Heart Failure Chronic; Chronic Kidney Disease (Stages 4 and 5)

Keywords

NECPAL tool; Palliative Care Needs; Advanced Chronic Conditions; Early Identification; Screening Tool; Observational Study; Prediction

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Proportion of Patients Identified as NECPAL Positive

  Proportion of adult patients with advanced oncological and non-oncological chronic diseases who are identified as NECPAL positive using the NECPAL screening tool during hospital admission or day hospital assessment.

  At baseline (at the time of inclusion)

Study Arms (1)

Observational Cohort

Adult patients with advanced oncological and non-oncological chronic diseases hospitalized for an acute medical condition or attending a day hospital, assessed using the NECPAL screening tool as part of routine clinical care. No experimental intervention is assigned.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of adult patients with advanced oncological and non-oncological chronic diseases who are hospitalized for an acute medical condition or evaluated in a day hospital setting. Patients are consecutively assessed as part of routine clinical care and screened for palliative care needs using the NECPAL tool.

You may qualify if:

• Adults aged 18 years or older.
• Hospitalized patients admitted for an acute medical condition or patients attending a day hospital.
• Presence of at least one advanced chronic oncological or non-oncological disease.
• Ability to provide informed consent or availability of a legally authorized representative to provide consent.

You may not qualify if:

• Patients in the last days of life at the time of assessment.
• Patients who die during the acute hospitalization process.
• Patients with end-stage organ failure who are listed for organ transplantation.
• Patients with severe psychiatric disease that interferes with study participation.
• Patients previously included in the study during a prior hospital admission.
• Patients for whom outpatient follow-up cannot be ensured.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Infanta Leonor University Hospital: lead
• Fundación para la Investigación e Innovación Biomédica (FIIB) del Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor y Hospital Universitario del Sureste: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor

Madrid, Madrid, 28023, Spain

Location

Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor

Madrid, Madrid, 28030, Spain

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Neoplasms; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Renal Insufficiency; Kidney Diseases; Urologic Diseases; Female Urogenital Diseases; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Urogenital Diseases; Male Urogenital Diseases; Chronic Disease; Disease Attributes; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Target Duration: 38 Months
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 28, 2026
• First Posted: February 4, 2026
• Study Start: February 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): February 1, 2028
• Last Updated: June 10, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

ES (2)