scholarly journals Exploring socioeconomic inequities in access to palliative and end-of-life care in the UK: a narrative synthesis

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maddy French ◽  
Thomas Keegan ◽  
Eleftherios Anestis ◽  
Nancy Preston

Abstract Background Efforts inequities in access to palliative and end-of-life care require comprehensive understanding about the extent of and reasons for inequities. Most research on this topic examines differences in receipt of care. There is a need, particularly in the UK, for theoretically driven research that considers both receipt of care and the wider factors influencing the relationship between socioeconomic position and access to palliative and end-of-life care. Methods This is a mixed studies narrative synthesis on socioeconomic position and access to palliative and end-of-life care in the UK. Study searches were conducted in databases AMED, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, SocIndex, and Academic Literature Search, as well as grey literature sources, in July 2020. The candidacy model of access, which describes access as a seven-stage negotiation between patients and providers, guided study searches and provided a theoretical lens through which data were synthesised. Results Searches retrieved 5303 studies (after de-duplication), 29 of which were included. The synthesis generated four overarching themes, within which concepts of candidacy were evident: identifying needs; taking action; local conditions; and receiving care. Conclusion There is not a consistent or clear narrative regarding the relationship between socioeconomic position and receipt of palliative and end-of-life care in the UK. Attempts to address any inequities in access will require knowledge and action across many different areas. Key evidence gaps in the UK literature concern the relationship between socioeconomic position, organisational context, and assessing need for care.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maddy French ◽  
Thomas Keegan ◽  
Eleftherios Anestis ◽  
Nancy Preston

Abstract Background: Efforts to understand and tackle socioeconomic inequities in access to palliative and end-of-life care require comprehensive understanding about the extent of and reasons for inequities. Most research on this topic examines differences in receipt of care. There is a need for theoretically driven research that considers both receipt of care and the wider factors influencing the relationship between socioeconomic position and access to palliative and end-of-life care. Methods: A mixed-methods narrative synthesis on socioeconomic position and access to palliative and end-of-life care in the UK. Study searches were conducted in databases AMED, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, SocIndex, and Academic Literature Search along with grey literature sources in July 2020. The candidacy model of access, which describes access as a seven-stage negotiation between patients and providers, guided study searches and provided a theoretical lens through which data were synthesised.Results: Searches retrieved 5303 studies (after de-duplication), 29 of which were included. The synthesis generated four overarching themes, within which concepts of candidacy were evident: identifying needs; taking action; local conditions; and receiving care.Conclusion: Socioeconomic position does not have a consistent association with receipt of palliative and end-of-life care in the UK. The use of the candidacy model of access helped to identify key gaps in the UK evidence, including those concerning the relationship between socioeconomic position, organisational context, and assessing need for palliative care.


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabitha Thomas ◽  
Isla Kuhn ◽  
Stephen Barclay

Background: Transfers from hospital or ‘hospice palliative care units’ to care homes for end-of-life care are an increasingly common part of clinical practice but are a source of anxiety and distress for patients, relatives and healthcare professionals. Aim: To understand the experiences of patients discharged to care homes for end-of-life care. Design: Systematic review and narrative synthesis of the UK literature concerning inpatient transfer from a hospital or hospice palliative care unit to a care home for end-of-life care. Results: The published literature is very limited: only three papers and one conference abstract were identified, all of low quality using Gough’s weight of evidence assessment. No papers examined transfer from hospital: all were of transfers from hospices and were retrospective case note reviews. Many patients were reported to have been negative or ambivalent about moving and experienced feelings of anxiety or abandonment when transferred. Relatives were often either vehemently opposed or ambivalent. Although some came to accept transfer, others reported the transfer to have seriously affected their loved one’s quality of life and that the process of finding a care home had been traumatic. No studies investigated patients’ views prospectively, the views of staff or the processes of decision-making. Conclusion: The UK literature is very limited, despite such transfers being an increasingly common part of clinical practice and a source of concern to patients, relatives and staff alike. Further research is urgently needed in this area, especially studies of patients themselves, in order to understand their experiences and views.


Author(s):  
Lorna Templeton ◽  
Sarah Galvani ◽  
Marian Peacock

AbstractThis paper draws on data from one strand of a six-strand, exploratory study on end of life care for adults using substances (AUS). It presents data from the key informant (KI) strand of the study that aimed to identify models of practice in the UK. Participant recruitment was purposive and used snowball sampling to recruit KIs from a range of health and social care, policy and practice backgrounds. Data were collected in 2016–2017 from 20 KIs using a semi-structured interview approach. The data were analysed using template analysis as discussed by King (2012). This paper focusses on two of seven resulting themes, namely “Definitions and perceptions of key terms” in end of life care and substance use sectors, and “Service commissioning and delivery.” The KIs demonstrated dedicated individual practice, but were critical of the systemic failure to provide adequate direction and resources to support people using substances at the end of their lives.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 17-17
Author(s):  
Yifan Lou ◽  
Nan Jiang ◽  
Katherine Ornstein

Abstract Background: Quality of life (QoL) during last stage of life has raised expanded interests as an important aspect of person-centered care. Last place of care (LPC), refer to the last place decedents received their formal end-of-life care (EOLC), has been identified as a key indicator of older adults’ end-of-life QoL, but the relationship was understudied. This study explores the association between LPC and end-of-life QoL among American older adults. Methods: Data used seven waves of Last Month of Life data with a total sample of 3068 Medicare decedents in NHATS. Outcome is end-of-life QoL assessed by eleven measures on four domains: pain and symptoms management (SP), quality of healthcare encounter (HE), person-centered care (PC), and overall quality of care (QC). LPC was categorized into home, hospital, nursing home, and residential hospice. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship with covariates. Results: LPC varied by most demographic characteristics, except immigration status and education. Older adults whose LPC is hospital, compared to those who had home-care, were less likely to have great experiences on HE, PC, and QC. People dying at nursing homes are more likely to receive care meeting their dyspnea and spiritual needs. Residential hospice is negatively related to respected care, clear coordination, and keeping family informed, but are more likely to provide PS and spiritual care. Discussion: Home-based end-of-life care has certain advantages but still has room to improve on SP and religious concerns. Hospitals should keep reforming their service delivery structure to improve patients’ QoL.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Ellen Selman ◽  
Lisa Jane Brighton ◽  
Vicky Robinson ◽  
Rob George ◽  
Shaheen A. Khan ◽  
...  

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1042-1054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Mogan ◽  
Mari Lloyd-Williams ◽  
Karen Harrison Dening ◽  
Christopher Dowrick

Background: It is reported that, given the right support, most people would prefer to die at home, yet a very small minority of people with dementia do so. At present, knowledge gaps remain on how best to support end-of-life care at home for people with dementia. Aim: To identify and understand the challenges and facilitators of providing end-of-life care at home for people with dementia. Design: Narrative synthesis of qualitative and quantitative data. Data sources: The review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A systematic literature search was conducted across six electronic databases (AMED, BNI, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO) and reference lists of key journals were searched up to July 2017. Results: Searches returned 1949 unique titles, of which seven studies met all the eligibility criteria (four quantitative and three qualitative). Six key themes were identified – four facilitators and two challenges. Facilitators included ‘support from health care professionals’, ‘informal caregiver resilience and extended social networks’, ‘medications and symptom management’ and ‘appropriate equipment and home adaptations’. Challenges included ‘issues with professional services’ and ‘worsening of physical or mental health’. Conclusion: People with dementia may not always require specialist palliative care at the end of life. Further research is required to overcome the methodological shortcomings of previous studies and establish how community development approaches to palliative care, such as compassionate communities, can support families to allow a greater number of people with dementia to die at home.


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