PRIORITIES: Home-Based Palliative Care
Across Canada, organizations are developing and testing innovative approaches to improve the delivery of home-based palliative care. Working with our members and partners, the CHCA identifies, documents, and shares these promising practices to support adoption and scale. By highlighting practical, evidence-informed models and facilitating implementation through our SPRINT Implementation Collaboratives, the CHCA is enhancing care delivery, addressing care gaps, and improving outcomes for individuals and families. Below are examples of leading practices in home-based palliative care that demonstrate what’s possible when innovation is implemented with purpose and collaboration.
Home care organizations are building palliative care competencies by embedding tools, training, and resources into practice. In this video, leaders share how the CHCA SPRINT Implementation Collaborative is driving lasting, system-wide improvements in care.
High Impact Practices, as defined by the CHCA, are evidence-informed, innovative approaches in home-based care that enhance service quality and effectiveness, leading to improved quality of life for patients and their families. By identifying and sharing these practices, the CHCA supports knowledge transfer and encourages the spread and scale of innovations that result in better care, better outcomes, and better value.
These High Impact Practices represent leading practices in home-based palliative care, addressing service gaps and improving the quality and efficiency of care for individuals, families, and caregivers receiving care and support at home.
An innovative approach to inter-professional communication, shared decision-making and rapid clinical problem-solving for symptom burden in high-risk individuals who require palliative care services.
An augmented service model in rural Alberta that is supporting clients nearing end of life to stay at home when desired, while ensuring they receive the required additional care.
The enhanced ‘INSPIRED’ Program provides social supports and advanced care planning to individuals with advanced COPD through an integrated palliative approach to care.
An innovative model that combines an app for early identification of symptoms with videoconferencing to help support palliative care patients in the community.
Whole Community Palliative Rounds (WCPR) is a leading practice for Interior Health, BC, that was adopted and spread through a CHCA SPRINT Implementation Collaborative. WCPR supports rapid, collaborative clinical problem-solving for patients receiving palliative care who are at high risk for significant symptom burden. By bringing together interdisciplinary teams—often including physicians, nurses, and home care providers—WCPR facilitates team-based care, enhances community capacity and improves care coordination.
Through the SPRINT Collaborative, participating teams received structured support to test and implement WCPR in their local contexts. The CHCA SPRINT model enables organizational teams to rapidly advance from knowledge to action. Over a nine-month period, teams applied implementation science, quality improvement, and shared learning strategies to embed this innovative approach into practice.
Results from the SPRINT Collaborative showed improved teamwork, greater provider satisfaction, more holistic patient care, and stronger physician engagement. The collaborative also increased national awareness and understanding of how to successfully adopt WCPR.
This guide and toolkit captures insights from experts and frontline providers, showcasing over 100 field-tested tools and strategies to address inequities and improve care delivery. The report emphasizes the challenges of limited resources, unequal access, and the emotional toll on caregivers and providers. It offers practical solutions to enhance provider education, improve caregiver support, and ensure equitable access to essential resources such as technology, medications, and personal protective equipment. Key features include:
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