Collaborative Approach to Palliative Encounters (CAPE)
What is CAPE and Who is it for?
Collaborative Approach to Palliative Encounters (CAPE) is a quality improvement initiative aimed at improving the integration of a palliative approach to care into primary care. This initiative is a partnership between the Palliative Care Clinical Network and the Primary Health Care and Chronic Disease Management Clinical Network targeting Nova Scotia Health (NSH), Health Homes with an interest and readiness to participate.
Why CAPE?
Building upon past work, the purpose of implementing CAPE in Primary Health Care is to strengthen the ability of primary care teams to identify patients who would benefit from a palliative approach earlier in their illness trajectory. By embedding early identification practices and team-based discussions into routine care, CAPE helps ensure that patients with progressive, life-limiting conditions receive timely, coordinated, and person-centered support aligned with their goals and values.
Early identification of patients who would benefit from a palliative approach is essential for improving quality of life, supporting proactive care planning, and avoiding crisis-driven health system use. Currently, many patients are identified late in their illness, limiting opportunities for meaningful conversations and coordinated care.
What Will Participating Teams be Expected to Do?
Participating teams will identify a change idea they would like to implement in their practice to enhance a palliative approach to care. For example, this might include development of processes to better identify appropriate patients (i.e. through their EMR), the use of new forms and tools (i.e., Goals of Care form, Expected Death at Home form), or the use of enhanced clinical skills (serious illness conversations). Teams will be expected to implement these new tools and processes while sharing data with the Network team to evaluate effectiveness during this period. The Network team and a quality improvement resource will be available to support Health Homes throughout the initiative.
What to do if your Health Home Team is Interested in Participating?
If your team is interested in participating in CAPE please complete the Expression of Interest form: here
Please note, CAPE is intended for NSH Health Home teams. If you are a Nova Scotia primary care practice that is not affiliated with NSH and are interested in participating, please contact: brittney.amirault@nshealth.ca.
To learn more about past work done regarding a palliative approach to care in primary health care in Nova Scotia read Barriers to and facilitators of successful implementation of a palliative approach to care in primary care practices: a mixed methods study
