Validity of scoring system for palliative care in oncology: CODETM - "Care of the dying evaluation" - Is it important in assessing the end-of-life process?

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by dawugda

Background: Patients with advanced cancer experience distressing symptoms, and palliative care is essential for people with irreversible diseases beyond therapeutic possibilities. Aims: Compare caregivers’ perceptions of care provided by two public hospitals using the CODETM questionnaire, determine questionnaire scores, and assess its usefulness. Methods: The post-death questionnaire “Care of the Dying Evaluation” was completed by family members accompanying patients in their final days. Results: No statistical demographic difference; palliative care recipients had higher scores, with ward and ICU performing better than the emergency unit.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Article Highlights

Evaluation of palliative care at end of life for SUS patients

Usefulness of the CODETM questionnaire

Central Message

Symptoms and multidimensional problems in advanced cancer

Purpose of the study and comparison between two hospitals

Perspectives

Need for an instrument to classify and qualify care

Differences between hospital units

ABCD Arq Bras Cir Dig 2025;38:e1915 [https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-67202025000046e1915](https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-67202025000046e1915) ORIGINAL ARTICLE Validity of scoring system for palliative care in oncology: CODETM – “Care of the dying evaluation”. Is it important in assessing the end-of-life process? VISUAL ABSTRACT | | Patients with advanced cancer experience a range of distressing symptoms. Palliative care is emerging as a key area for healthcare systems to innovate in assisting patients with irreversible diseases beyond therapeutic possibilities. | | --- | --- | | | Is an evaluation of palliative care provided at the end of life to SUS patients by public health institutions necessary? The answer is yes. For this evaluation, the CODE™(Care of the Dying Evaluation) post-death questionnaire was administered to family members who accompanied patients in their final days of life, assessing their perception of the quality of care provided to the patient and the level of support provided to the family. | |
The CODETM questionnaire was a useful tool in evaluating the palliative care offered by hospitals to patients and can be applied to propose improvements in palliative care. | | | | | AUTHORS Thayssa de Morais OLIVEIRA , Juliana Nalin PASSARINI , Dagny FaksvågHAUGEN , Catriona Rachel MAYLAND , Luiz Roberto LOPES CORRESPONDENCE Luiz Roberto Lopes. E-mail: [lopes@unicamp.br](lopes@unicamp.br) HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE Oliveira TM, Passarini JN, Haugen DF, Mayland CR, Lopes LR. Validity of scoring system for palliative care in oncology: CODETM – “Care of the dying evaluation”. Is it important in assessing the end-of-life process? ABCD Arq Bras Cir Dig. 2025;38:e1915. [https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-](https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-)[ ](https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-)[67202025000046e1915.](67202025000046e1915.) ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS • Patients with advanced cancer experience a range of distressing symptoms. • Palliative care is emerging as a key area for healthcare systems to innovate in assisting patients with irreversible diseases beyond therapeutic possibilities. • Is an evaluation of palliative care provided at the end of life to SUS patients by public health institutions necessary? The answer is yes. • For this evaluation, the CODE™ (Care of the Dying Evaluation) postdeath questionnaire was administered to family members who accompanied patients in their final days of life, assessing their perception of the quality of care provided to the patient and the level of support provided to the family. • The CODETM questionnaire was a useful tool in evaluating the palliative care offered by hospitals to patients and can be applied to propose improvements in palliative care. CENTRAL MESSAGE Patients with advanced cancer often experience a number of distressing symptoms and face psychological, social, and spiritual problems, in addition to physical symptoms. The end-of-life process is one of the most significant moments for individuals, their family members and caregivers, representing an emotional overload with several consequences. Palliative care (PC) represents an essential service to be implemented by health systems to support patients with irreversible diseases and without therapeutic possibilities, with a focus on symptom control and improvement of quality of life, preventing and relieving human suffering in several dimensions, including the final period of an end-stage illness, ina moment of progressive decline that is inevitably approaching death. This study compares the perception of caregivers of patients in palliative care offered by two public hospitals using the CODETM questionnaire. PERSPECTIVES There is a need for an instrument that can constantly classify and qualify the care provided to oncological patients and their families in order to offer dignified, comprehensive and humanized care, as proposed by the CODETM questionnaire. There was no statistical difference betwee

FAQs

What does the CODETM questionnaire evaluate in this study?

It is administered to family members after patients’ deaths to assess perceived quality of care for patients and the level of support provided to the family.

Why is palliative care emphasized for advanced cancer patients?

Because patients face distressing physical symptoms and also psychological, social, and spiritual problems, requiring symptom control and quality-of-life improvement.

How did caregivers’ perceptions differ between hospital units?

Caregivers reported higher CODETM scores for ward and ICU units compared with the emergency unit, with no statistical difference in demographics.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by dawugda