Table 2 Data collection

Online survey

Healthcare professionals´ confidence in using sedative drugs (pre-assessment)

Healthcare professionals of pilot centers (n = 50)

Phase 1

Retrospective chart review

Summative evaluation of feasibility: (1) frequency of use of individual intervention elements, appropriate to the given type of sedative drug use;

(2) completeness of documentation

Piloting centers ’Patients´ medical charts: approximately n = 1.080 medical records

Continuously

Qualitative Interviews,

semi-structured

Feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness

Informal caregivers, patients

Phase 2

Online-survey

1) Confidence of healthcare professionals in using sedative drugs (post-assessment);

2) Feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness;

3) Implementation process

Healthcare professionals of pilot centers (n = 50)

Phase 2

Focus groups

1) Perceived changes in confidence in their own practice using sedative drugs;

2) Feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness;

3) Implementation process

Center-specific: multi-professional health professionals of piloting centers (n = 4, with 5–10 participants each)

Setting-specific: with physicians and nurses of piloting centers (n = 2, with 4–10 participants each)

Phase 2

SPC Specialist palliative care