A prospective study of unmet activity of daily living needs in palliative care inpatients

Aim: To define the unmet needs of activities of daily living as defined by patients and caregivers in a palliative care inpatient unit. Methods: A cross‐sectional prevalence study of a convenience cohort of a dyad of patient/caregiver. Functional status and unment needs were assessed. Agreement between respondents was analysed. Results: Caregivers identified significantly more unmet needs than patients (2.5 vs 2.5; p = 0.03). Areas of unmet need included mobility, leisure and bathing. Conclusion: Routine screening for unmet needs in function should be part of all inpatient palliative care assessments.