Spiritual needs and communicating about death in nonreligious theistic families in pediatric palliative care: A qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-540
Author(s):  
Siyu Cai ◽  
Qiaohong Guo ◽  
Yanhui Luo ◽  
Yuchen Zhou ◽  
Ali Abbas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Spiritual Needs ◽  
Religious Support ◽  
Spiritual Support ◽  
Personal Belief ◽  
The Face ◽  
Life Threatening

Background: Spiritual support should be offered to all patients and their families regardless of their affiliated status with an organized religion. Aim: To understand nonreligious theistic parents’ spirituality and to explore how parents discuss death with their terminally ill children in mainland China. Design: Qualitative study. Setting/participants: This study was conducted in the hematology oncology center at Beijing Children’s Hospital. Participants in this study included 16 bereaved parents. Results: Participants described themselves as nonreligious but showed a tendency toward a particular religion. Parents sought religious support in the face of the life-threatening conditions that affected their child and regarded the religious belief as an important way to get psychological and spiritual comfort after experiencing the death of their child. Religious support could partially address parents’ spiritual needs. Parents’ spiritual needs still require other supports such as bereavement services, death education, and family support groups. Some parents stated that it was difficult to find a way to discuss death with their children. For patients who come from nonreligious theistic families, their understanding of death was more complex and may be related to atheism. Conclusion: Religious support could be an element of spiritual support for nonreligious theistic parents of terminally ill children. Multiple strategies including religious supports and nonreligious supports should be rationally integrated into spiritual support of nonreligious theistic family. Patient’s personal belief in death should be assessed before discussing death with them.

Openness of Health Professionals about Death and Terminal Illness in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital

1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kemi Adamolekun
Keyword(s):  
Terminal Illness ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Terminally Ill Patients ◽  
Aids Epidemic ◽  
Diagnosis And Prognosis ◽  
Threatening Condition ◽  
The Face ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Doctors And Nurses

Most physicians in developed countries are reported to have a sense of responsibility to inform a patient about the facts of his or her life-threatening condition. This study reports doctors' and nurses' responsibility to their terminally ill patients in an African environment. Since, by local tradition, doctors are not supposed to convey bad news and the patients do not see themselves as dying of illness, the doctors are not enthusiastic about informing the patients that their disease is terminal. Though doctors and nurses are of the opinion that patients or relatives should be informed of patients' diagnoses, the majority of these professionals do not discuss the prognosis with terminally ill patients. The need to discuss the diagnosis and prognosis according to the desire of each patient was examined. This is more relevant to the practice of medicine in the developing countries with the likelihood that more terminally ill patients would use the hospitals in the face of HIV/AIDS epidemic.

A qualitative study of the emotional and spiritual needs of Hispanic families in hospice

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Nuñez ◽  
Jason M. Holland ◽  
Lisa Beckman ◽  
Abbie Kirkendall ◽  
Nora Luna
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Hospice Care ◽  
Spiritual Needs ◽  
Spiritual Support ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Hispanic Families ◽  
Hispanic Culture ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Hispanic Patients

ABSTRACTBackground:As the older U.S. population becomes more ethnically diverse, there will be an increased need for culturally sensitive hospice care services. Hispanics often experience multiple barriers to quality end-of-life care services.Objective:To address the underlying disparities in the cultural, emotional, and spiritual aspects of hospice care, the objective of the present qualitative study was to examine the emotional and spiritual needs of Hispanic patients' families while in hospice.Method:Semistructured in-person interviews were conducted with 29 Hispanic patients' families regarding their perceived experience of the hospice-based emotional and spiritual support received. Demographic information was collected on both the family member and the patient. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic content analysis.Results:Participant narratives fell into five main themes: (1) the influence of Hispanic culture in the relationship with hospice care providers; (2) types of social support received from hospice; (3) barriers to receiving support; (4) lack of health literacy regarding hospice care; and (5) cultural preferences for religious/spiritual support in hospice.Significance of Results:Our results provide insight into the specific emotional and spiritual needs of Hispanic families receiving hospice services. Our findings highlight that cultural values play an important role in the hospice care experiences of Hispanic families.

scholarly journals Experiences of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in Teleconsultation with Medical Residents: A Qualitative Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kolsoum Deldar ◽  
Fatemeh Tara ◽  
Masoumeh Mirteimouri ◽  
Seyed Mahmood Tara
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Information Transfer ◽  
Obstetrics And Gynecology ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Telephone Consultation ◽  
The Face ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Purposive Sample ◽  
Experienced Personnel

OBJECTIVE: To explore the experiences of specialists, residents, and experienced personnel of obstetrics and gynecology regarding telephone consultation by specialized residents and on-call expertsDESIGN: Qualitative study based on inductive content analysis.SETTING: Three departments of obstetrics and gynecology, affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.POPULATION: A purposive sample of 16 specialists, residents and experienced staff.METHODS: Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted.RESULTS: Analysis of interview data resulted in 363 primary codes and six main themes including: “attempt to direct the process of telephone consultation”, “decision-making challenges of diagnostic-therapeutic plans for patients”, “attempt to verify the acquired findings”, “inefficacy in the face of life-threatening conditions”, “discriminations in legal confrontation with medical errors”, and “impact on emotions and personal life”.CONCLUSIONS: Process of teleconsultation between physician and resident is associated with numerous challenges. Formal training sessions and considering new approaches of teleconsultation and telemedicine are needed to be implemented in order to reinforce the reliability of patient information transfer.

Advanced care planning: thinking ahead for parents, carers, children, and young people

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Spiritual Needs ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Best Interest ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Adult Services ◽  
Active Approach ◽  
Threatening Condition ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Advance Care

Advance care planning (ACP) in paediatrics applies from the diagnosis of a life-limiting/life-threatening condition onwards. It encompasses the management of intermittent potentially reversible episodes through to end-of-life care in keeping with the child’s best interest. It is an active approach to managing care and acknowledges the child’s and family’s broader social, emotional, and spiritual needs and keeps the child central and paramount to all planning. It requires transparent discussions and effectively documented agreements that are well communicated, readily accessible, and immediately identifiable. It is essential to regularly review and amend as necessary. They describe the care agreed at that point in time in the child’s best interest, in line with RCPCH guidance. Challenges may particularly occur at the time of transition to adult services.

Happiness at the end of life: A qualitative study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Tan Seng Beng ◽  
Wong Ka Ghee ◽  
Ng Yun Hui ◽  
Ooi Chieh Yin ◽  
Khoo Wei Shen Kelvin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Terminal Illness ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Pain And Suffering ◽  
The University ◽  
Eudaimonic Happiness

Abstract Objective Dying is mostly seen as a dreadful event, never a happy experience. Yet, as palliative care physicians, we have seen so many patients who remained happy despite facing death. Hence, we conducted this qualitative study to explore happiness in palliative care patients at the University of Malaya Medical Centre. Method Twenty terminally ill patients were interviewed with semi-structured questions. The results were thematically analyzed. Results Eight themes were generated: the meaning of happiness, connections, mindset, pleasure, health, faith, wealth, and work. Our results showed that happiness is possible at the end of life. Happiness can coexist with pain and suffering. Social connections were the most important element of happiness at the end of life. Wealth and work were given the least emphasis. From the descriptions of our patients, we recognized a tendency for the degree of importance to shift from the hedonic happiness to eudaimonic happiness as patients experienced a terminal illness. Significance of results To increase the happiness of palliative care patients, it is crucial to assess the meaning of happiness for each patient and the degree of importance for each happiness domain to allow targeted interventions.

End-of-Life Needs of Dying Patients and Their Families in Mainland China: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 003022282199734
Author(s):  
Guobin Cheng ◽  
Chuqian Chen
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Symptom Control ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Spiritual Needs ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Dying Patients

Objective To map the current research status and understand existing findings regarding end-of-life care needs in Mainland China. Method First-hand, empirical studies on the needs of dying patients and/or their families in Mainland China were searched in Web of Science, Scopus, Proquest, Taylor & Francis Online and CNKI in December 2019. Findings were synthesized. Results A total of 33 (10 qualitative) studies were involved. Chinese dying patients and their families had physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs and needs for knowledge and information. Prevalent needs of dying patients were mainly symptom control and decent look, being treated kindly by professional caregivers, family accompany, dignity, and comfortable environment. Families mainly need healthcare professionals to take good care of patients and wishes for information, knowledge, and facilities to help themselves become better caregivers. Conclusions Findings lay the foundation for effective and tailored services for Chinese clients and provided insights for future investigations.

Healthcare and Terrorism: The Lebanese Experience

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Nooreddine Iskandar ◽  
Tatiana Rahbany ◽  
Ali Shokor
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Security Issues ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Common ◽  
First Time

Abstract Background: Due to the common instability caused by political and security issues, Lebanese hospitals have experienced acts of terrorism multiple times. The most recent Beirut Explosion even forced several hospitals to cease operations for the first time in decades—but studies show the preparedness levels for such attacks in similar countries are low. Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the experience of Lebanese hospitals with terrorist attacks. Methods: This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders to assess their experience with terrorist bombings. Data was analyzed using the thematic analysis method. Results: The researchers found that Lebanese hospitals vary greatly in their structures and procedures. Those differences are a function of 3 contextual factors: location, culture, and accreditation status. Hospitals found near ‘dangerous zones’ were more likely to be aware and to have better response to such events. A severe lack of communication, unity of command, and collaboration between stakeholders has made the process fragmented. Conclusion: The researchers recommend a larger role for the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) in this process, and the creation of a platform where Lebanese organizations can share their experiences to improve preparedness and resilience of the Lebanese healthcare system in the face of terrorism.

Nurses’ Self-Identified Characteristics and Behaviors Contributing to Patients’ Positive Perceptions of Their Nursing Care

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-66
Author(s):  
Margaret Costello
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Nursing Care ◽  
Spiritual Needs ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
And Behaviors

This qualitative study was designed to uncover the characteristics and behaviors of nurses identified by patients as providing exceptional nursing care. “Being present” and “Knowing the patient” were the major themes that captured the nurses’ experience. Four subthemes were identified: looking for commonalities, sharing personal experiences, use of humor, and caring for the spiritual needs of patients.

Life Review in Pastoral Counseling: Background and Efficacy for Use with the Terminally III

2003 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert G. LeFavi ◽  
Marcia H. Wessels
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Pastoral Counseling ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Review ◽  
Systematic Theology ◽  
Spiritual Needs ◽  
Traumatic Death ◽  
Spiritual Assessment

Research continues to confirm that sharing one's life story through the process of life review enhances psychological well-being and increases life satisfaction. Although researchers have outlined techniques and activities that may be used in life review with older adults, little work has focused on the use of life review methods with terminally ill patients. Additionally, researchers have suggested that life review can take on the form of a spiritual assessment; and that such spiritually oriented life reviews may enhance a sense of meaning and foster reconciliation as one approaches dying. In this article, the authors provide a brief review of the research on and the practice of life review. Further, by merging concepts of life review with systematic theology, they offer a sample instrument—using the example of one faith framework—with which pastoral caregivers can better approach the spiritual needs of patients and facilitate a less traumatic death in the terminally ill.

scholarly journals Effect of COVID-19 outbreak on emergency department attendances in an Italian academic hospital

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Poletto ◽  
G Perri ◽  
F Malacarne ◽  
B Bianchet ◽  
A Doimo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Initial Phase ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Hospital Setting ◽  
Academic Hospital ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Critical Patients

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease was discovered during the 2019 outbreak in Mainland China and the first cases were reported in Italy on February 21, 2020. This study evaluates the emergency department (ED) attendances of an academic hospital in northern Italy before and after media reported the news of the first infected patients in Italy. Methods Adult attendances in ED in February 2020 were analysed dividing the period into 4 weeks (days 1-7, 8-14, 15-21, 22-28) compared with the same periods in 2019. The visits were analysed separately according to the Italian colour code of triage: white (non-critical), green (low-critical), yellow (medium critical), red (life-threatening). The mean weekly number of attendances was compared with t-test. Results February 2020 total ED attendances compared with February 2019 were 4865 vs 5029 (-3.3%), of which white codes were 834 vs 762 (+9.4%), green 2450 vs 2580 (-5.0%), yellow 1427 vs 1536 (-7.1%), red 154 vs 151 (+2.0%). February 2020 weekly mean ED attendances compared with February 2019 had statistically significant difference only in the fourth week (days 22-28) for green codes (75 vs 92, p = 0.007) and yellow codes (41 vs 52, p = 0.047), not for white (27 vs 26, p = 0.760) and red codes (5 vs 5, p = 0.817). The first three weeks of February 2020 compared with 2019 showed no statistically significant difference in weekly mean ED attendances. Conclusions There was a significant reduction of green and yellow codes attendances at ED in the fourth week of February 2020, corresponding to the initial phase of Italian COVID-19 outbreak. The fear of contracting SARS-CoV-2 by attending the ED probably acted as a significant deterrent in visits, especially for low and medium critical patients. Additional data are required to better understand the phenomenon, including the behaviour of non-critical attendances. Key messages A reduction of green and yellow codes attendances was reported during initial phase of COVID-19 outbreak in an Italian academic hospital. Fear of contracting COVID-19 infection in a hospital setting could impact on emergency department attendances.

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