Psychosocial issues near the end of life: A resource for professional care providers.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ai Chikada ◽  
Sayaka Takenouchi ◽  
Yoshiki Arakawa ◽  
Kazuko Nin

Abstract Background End-of-life discussions (EOLDs) in patients with high-grade glioma (HGG) have not been well described. Therefore, this study examined the appropriateness of timing and the extent of patient involvement in EOLDs and their impact on HGG patients. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 105 bereaved families of HGG patients at a university hospital in Japan between July and August 2019. Fisher’s exact test and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used to assess the association between patient participation in EOLDs and their outcomes. Results In total, 77 questionnaires were returned (response rate 73%), of which 20 respondents replied with refusal documents. Overall, 31/57 (54%) participated in EOLDs at least once in acute hospital settings, and a significant difference was observed between participating and nonparticipating groups in communicating the patient’s wishes for EOL care to the family (48% vs 8%, P = .001). Moreover, >80% of respondents indicated that the initiation of EOLDs during the early diagnosis period with patients and families was appropriate. Most EOLDs were provided by neurosurgeons (96%), and other health care providers rarely participated. Additionally, patient goals and priorities were discussed in only 28% of the EOLDs. Patient participation in EOLDs was not associated with the quality of EOL care and a good death. Conclusions Although participation in EOLDs is relatively challenging for HGG patients, this study showed that participation in EOLDs may enable patients to express their wishes regarding EOL care. It is important to initiate EOLDs early on through an interdisciplinary team approach while respecting patient goals and priorities.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026921632110233
Author(s):  
Cari Malcolm ◽  
Katherine Knighting

Background: End-of-life care for children with life-shortening conditions is provided in a range of settings including hospital, hospice and home. What home-based, end-of-life care should entail or what best practice might look like is not widely reported, particularly from the perspective of parents who experienced the death of a child at home. Aim: To explore the value and assess the effectiveness of an innovative model of care providing home-based, end-of-life care as perceived by families who accessed the service. Design: A qualitative descriptive study design was employed with in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with bereaved parents. Setting/participants: Thirteen bereaved parents of 10 children supported by the home-based end-of-life care service. Results: Parents reported effective aspects of end-of-life care provided at home to include: (1) ability to facilitate changes in preferred place of death; (2) trusted relationships with care providers who really know the child and family; (3) provision of child and family-centred care; (4) specialist care and support provided by the service as and when needed; and (5) quality and compassionate death and bereavement care. Parents proposed recommendations for future home-based end-of-life care including shared learning, improving access to home-based care for other families and dispelling hospice myths. Conclusion: Parents with experience of caring for a dying child at home offer valuable input to future the policy and practice surrounding effective home-based, end-of-life care for children. New models of care or service developments should consider the key components and attributes for effective home-based end-of-life identified by bereaved parents in this study.


2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (11) ◽  
pp. 3-4
Author(s):  
Molly Antone ◽  

Dying today looks dramatically different than it did a century ago, largely due to wider treatment options and more specialized medical practices. Often missing from these advancements is the focus on factors relative to a patient’s total circumstances. Especially in light of the recent pandemic, it is incumbent upon Catholic health care providers to treat who whole person rather than simply focus on more utilitarian philosophies of care.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Relyea ◽  
Brooke MacDonald ◽  
Christina Cattaruzza ◽  
Denise Marshall

Schizophrenia is a serious chronic mental illness that results in marginalization and stigma for sufferers. It is the seventh leading cause for disability worldwide. The symptoms of the illness, including hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior, may also introduce barriers to accessing treatment, education, housing, and employment. Little is known about end-of-life care for individuals with schizophrenia. To address this gap, a scoping review was conducted to enhance understanding of hospice and palliative care for patients with schizophrenia. From this scoping review, 342 unique titles and abstracts were identified through a search of 20 databases, including 11 social science databases, 6 medical databases, and 3 gray literature databases. A total of 32 articles met the inclusion criteria and the following 4 themes were identified: Stigma affecting quality of care and access to care; Issues related to consent and capacity for the patient’s end-of-life care decisions and to appoint substitute decision makers; Best practices for psychosocial interventions, pharmacology, family and health-care collaborations, goals of care, setting, and smoking; and Barriers to care, including setting, communication, provider education, and access to care. The review suggests the importance of mandatory interdisciplinary training practices and policy standards outlining cooperative communication across health-care providers. It highlights gaps in evidence-based research on psychosocial interventions and collaborative frameworks to enable the provision of quality end-of-life care for individuals with schizophrenia.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 366-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Northway ◽  
Stuart Todd ◽  
Katherine Hunt ◽  
Paula Hopes ◽  
Rachel Morgan ◽  
...  

Background People with intellectual disability are believed to be at risk of receiving poor end-of-life care. Nurses, given their advocacy role and duty to provide compassionate end-of-life care, have the potential to change this situation but research regarding this aspect of their role is limited. Aims This paper thus seeks to answer the question ‘How and when are nurses involved in providing care at end of life for people with intellectual disability?’ Methods A total of 38 intellectual disability care providers in the UK providing support to 13,568 people with intellectual disability were surveyed. Data regarding 247 deaths within this population were gathered in two stages and subsequently entered into SPSSX for analysis. Results Findings revealed that the majority of deaths occurred between the ages of 50 and 69 years, the most commonly reported cause of death being respiratory problems. Both community and hospital-based nurses were involved in supporting individuals during their final 3 months of life, and sometimes more than one type of nurse provided support to individuals. Generally nursing care was rated positively, although room for improvement was also identified. Conclusions Nurses are involved in supporting people with intellectual disability at end of life and appropriate education is required to undertake this role. This may require change in curricula and subsequent research to determine the impact of such change on nursing support to this population.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. e81-e91
Author(s):  
Renea L. Beckstrand ◽  
Jasmine B. Jenkins ◽  
Karlen E. Luthy ◽  
Janelle L. B. Macintosh

Background Critical care nurses routinely care for dying patients. Research on obstacles in providing end-of-life care has been conducted for more than 20 years, but change in such obstacles over time has not been examined. Objective To determine whether the magnitude scores of obstacles and helpful behaviors regarding end-of-life care have changed over time. Methods In this cross-sectional survey study, questionnaires were sent to 2000 randomly selected members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Obstacle and helpful behavior items were analyzed using mean magnitude scores. Current data were compared with data gathered in 1999. Results Of the 2000 questionnaires mailed, 509 usable responses were received. Six obstacle magnitude scores increased significantly over time, of which 4 were related to family issues (not accepting the poor prognosis, intrafamily fighting, overriding the patient’s end-of-life wishes, and not understanding the meaning of the term lifesaving measures). Two were related to nurse issues. Seven obstacles decreased in magnitude, including poor design of units, overly restrictive visiting hours, and physicians avoiding conversations with families. Four helpful behavior magnitude scores increased significantly over time, including physician agreement on patient care and family access to the patient. Three helpful behavior items decreased in magnitude, including intensive care unit design. Conclusions The same end-of-life care obstacles that were reported in 1999 are still present. Obstacles related to family behaviors increased significantly, whereas obstacles related to intensive care unit environment or physician behaviors decreased significantly. These results indicate a need for better end-of-life education for families and health care providers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 348-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Luba ◽  
Mitch Earleywine ◽  
Stacey Farmer ◽  
Melissa Slavin

Author(s):  
Sriram Yennurajalingam

Culture play a significant role in the care of patients receiving Palliative care. Understanding and managing cultural differences in end-of-life care is important as misunderstanding can result in under-treatment and unnecessary suffering for the patient and their care providers. Therefore better understanding can improve patient–physician communication and potentially improve patients’ quality of life, coping, and facilitate patients to make informed decisions and set appropriate priorities with regard to treatment and end-of-life care. This chapter discusses key cultural issues in palliative care, including the concepts of nondisclosure, the importance of the use of a medical interpreter, and the importance of an interdisciplinary team.


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