Using Death Cafés as a method for discussing death and dying with third year student nurses

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 352-360
Author(s):  
Theresa Mitchell ◽  
Brian Nyatanga ◽  
Sue Lillyman ◽  
Mary Bruce ◽  
Sue Bryane
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Student Nurses ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sensitive Topics ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
End Of Life Issues

Background: Death Cafés are increasingly being held to facilitate discussions around death and dying and end-of-life issues with the public. They are thought to provide a safe, confidential and interactive space in which sensitive and supportive conversations about death and dying and end-of-life are shared. Aim: To explore nursing students' experiences of participating in a modified Death Café and its impact on their learning about death and dying. Methodology: A qualitative interpretive approach was employed using face-to-face semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of third year student nurse volunteers. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes. Findings: Students viewed the modified Death Cafés positively, reporting that they were stimulating, informative and worthwhile for discussing sensitive topics related to death and dying. Five themes were developed from interview data: anticipation of the Death Cafés; timing of the Death Cafés within the curriculum; facilitation; trust within the group and getting involved; and reflection on, and for, practice. Conclusion: Students voiced a preference to disclose their feelings about death to an expert facilitator in the more informal environment of a Death Café because they thought they might be judged by their nursing lecturers. Effective facilitation of a Death Café session is critical to encourage self-scrutiny and disclosure by students, and the modified Death Café sessions achieved this. Implications: It is expected that students may feel vulnerable while participating in a Death Café, but it is important that the sessions enable students to be open about their feelings about death and the reciprocal sharing of inner thoughts and feelings about death and dying.

Death and Dying Content in Undergraduate Social Work Education: Student Views of Their Preparation for End-of-Life Practice

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
End Of Life Issues ◽  
Work Education

The majority of the literature specific to end-of-life content within social work education has pertained to master's level students. This descriptive study examined how prepared 272 BSW students from Pennsylvania colleges and universities felt they were for addressing end-of-life issues in social work practice, regardless of setting. This study identified that students did not feel prepared to assist clients with end-of-life situations. Students provided a list of recommendations for the types of end-of-life content they thought should be included in the social work curriculum. Strategies for including end-of-life content into the baccalaureate social work curriculum are included.

scholarly journals Breaking the Silence Associated With Death and Dying: New Directions in End-of-Life Research

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 647-647
Author(s):  
Sara Stemen ◽  
Peter Lichtenberg
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
End Of Life Issues ◽  
Demographic Shifts

Abstract Conversations surrounding end-of-life care and bereavement continue to remain relatively silenced within gerontology and the general population. The purpose of this symposium is to break the silence associated with death, dying, and bereavement by sharing emerging perspectives and interventions related to end-of-life experiences. This symposium features four presentations that examine bereavement and end-of-life care from the viewpoints of individuals, families, practitioners, and researchers. Carr provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of research regarding death, dying, and bereavement - mapping out how current technological and demographic shifts have changed the nature of end-of-life experiences. Stemen presents an illustrative case study that examines how cause of death (e.g., chronic illness, suicide) shapes grief and subsequent social relationships for surviving individuals. Utz explores conversations that occur between families and professionals embedded within the hospice system, showcasing reactions from families who experienced live discharge from hospice services. Last, Ogle sheds light on the roles taken on by state tested nursing assistants (STNAs) in end-of-life care as well as the training and education they receive and need on end-of-life issues. Lichtenberg, our discussant, will tie these emerging perspectives together in order to initiate an important dialogue with attendees regarding the actions needed to break the silence associated with death and dying so that we can better serve individuals, families, and professionals.

Book Review: Time to Go: Three Plays on Death and Dying, with Commentary on End-of-Life Issues

1995 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 268-273
Author(s):  
Rhonda L. Soricelli ◽  
David H Flood
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Review Time ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
End Of Life Issues

End-of-Life Issues in Intensive Care Units

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Metaxa
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Critical Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
Advance Care Directives ◽  
Advance Care ◽  
End Of Life Issues ◽  
Potential Improvement

AbstractCritical care clinicians strive to reverse the disease process and are frequently faced with difficult end-of-life (EoL) situations, which include transitions from curative to palliative care, avoidance of disproportionate care, withholding or withdrawing therapy, responding to advance treatment directives, as well as requests for assistance in dying. This article presents a summary of the most common issues encountered by intensivists caring for patients around the end of their life. Topics explored are the practices around limitations of life-sustaining treatment, with specific mention to the thorny subject of assisted dying and euthanasia, as well as the difficulties encountered regarding the adoption of advance care directives in clinical practice and the importance of integrating palliative care in the everyday practice of critical-care physicians. The aim of this article is to enhance understanding around the complexity of EoL decisions, highlight the intricate cultural, religious, and social dimensions around death and dying, and identify areas of potential improvement for individual practice.

scholarly journals Tailoring Traditional Interviewing Techniques for Qualitative Research with Seriously Ill Patients about the End-of-Life: A Primer

2010 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dena Schulman-Green ◽  
Ruth McCorkle ◽  
Elizabeth H. Bradley
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
End Of Life Issues ◽  
Seriously Ill Patients ◽  
Interviewing Techniques ◽  
Seriously Ill

Conducting qualitative interviews with seriously ill individuals about end-of-life issues is challenging for interviewers seeking to understand the problems, processes, and experiences individuals undergo when faced with death and dying. Although all qualitative interviewers face issues of building trust and obtaining answers to their research questions, these issues are exacerbated for interviewers of end-of-life issues due to the challenges of debilitated participants, sensitive subject matter, and heightened emotionalism. The purpose of this article is to offer field-tested techniques to tailor basic interviewing practices for discussions of end-of-life issues with seriously ill individuals. Use of tailored techniques facilitates the comfort of both interviewer and participant and enhances the probability of obtaining complete and accurate data, which in turn can improve the effectiveness of subsequent programs, policies, and clinical practice based on research findings.

Talking about sensitive topics during the advance care planning discussion: A peek into the black box

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1669-1676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pernille Andreassen ◽  
Mette Asbjørn Neergaard ◽  
Trine Brogaard ◽  
Marianne Hjorth Skorstengaard ◽  
Anders Bonde Jensen
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Sensitive Topics ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
Advance Care ◽  
End Of Life Issues

AbstractObjective:Advance care planning (ACP) discussions are emphasized as a valuable way of improving communication about end-of-life care. Yet we have very little knowledge of what goes on during actual ACP discussions. The aim of our study was to explore how the sensitive topics of end-of-life decisions are addressed in concrete ACP discussions, with special focus on doctor–patient interactions.Method:Following a discourse-analysis approach, the study uses the concept of doctor and patient “voices” to analyze 10 directly observed and audiotaped ACP discussions among patients, relatives, and a physician, carried out in connection with a pilot study conducted in Denmark.Results:Previous studies of directly observed patient–physician discussions about end-of-life care show largely ineffective communication, where end-of-life issues are toned down by healthcare professionals, who also tend to dominate the discussions. In contrast, the observed ACP discussions in our study were successful in terms of addressing such sensitive issues as resuscitation and life-prolonging treatment. Our analysis shows that patients and relatives were encouraged to take the stage, to reflect, and to make informed choices. Patients actively explored different topics and asked questions about their current situation, but some also challenged the concept of ACP, especially the thought of being able to take control of end-of-life issues in advance.Significance of Results:Our analysis indicates that during discussions about sensitive end-of-life issues the healthcare professional will be able to pose and explore sensitive ACP questions in a straightforward manner, if the voices that express empathy and seek to empower the patient in different ways are emphasized.

The Forgotten Educational Needs of the House Staff: Training Internal Medicine Residents to Address End-of-Life Issues

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 147-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Moore Kerai ◽  
Margot Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Internal Medicine ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Internal Medicine Residents ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
Teaching Point ◽  
On Line ◽  
End Of Life Issues

An intervention was conducted, aimed at providing residents in internal medicine with communication skills to address end-of-life issues with patients. Residents participated in two 1-hour educational sessions designed to teach a communication protocol, enhance listening skills, and to provide practice in effective communication in a safe, small-group format. An anonymous on-line survey assessed the effectiveness of the intervention. Twenty-five residents completed the intervention. There was a trend toward increased comfort level in addressing end-of-life issues among residents who completed the intervention, versus a comparison group. Residents who completed the intervention reported that using the words “death” and “dying” with patients and families was an important teaching point.

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