Supportive and palliative care indicators tool (SPICT™) in a Danish healthcare context: translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and content validation

Background Early identification of patients who require palliative and supportive care at the general palliative care level is challenging. The Supportive & Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT™) might provide a helpful framework for this process. Aim To translate, culturally adapt and content validate SPICT™-DK in hospital, primary care, and general practice and within the broader Danish health care context. Methods SPICT™-DK was translated and cross-culturally validated by using the TRAPD-model (Translation, Review, adjudication, pretesting, and documentation) as well as the EORTC- translation guide (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer). In the pre-(pilot) testing phase, six focus group interviews and five individual interviews were conducted involving n = 29 health care professionals from general practice, primary care, and hospital. The qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis and the SPICT™-DK was then revised and published. Results The interviews revealed that SPICT™-DK can be used to identify people with palliative care needs. Three themes were derived from the analysis and showed SPICT™-DK provides a linguistic framework but must be used as an interdisciplinary tool as that SPICT™-DK requires competencies and collaboration. Conclusion SPICT™-DK is now translated and culturally validated in a Danish healthcare setting. The tool is useful to identify people with palliative care needs but must be implemented as an interdisciplinary collaborative intervention. SPICT™ -DK cannot be used by all healthcare professionals as it requires disease-specific competencies. However, it provides a common language for early palliative care interventions which can form the basis for interdisciplinary planning of future treatment and care.