scholarly journals Narrative and Palliative Care Team Identity Formation

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Hess

Palliative care is whole person care that attends to the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of persons with a serious or life-limiting illness. This care is provided by a team of clinicians from several disciplines including physicians, nurses, social workers, and chaplains. The palliative care team functions as a dynamic system whose ability to provide quality care is dependent upon the ability of the team members to form and maintain an ongoing collaborative alliance. This alliance requires that team members maintain dual commitments to both the care receivers and to their fellow team members. Just as persons with illness express the human propensity toward meaning making in the face of suffering, so palliative care teams thrive when they are supported in reflective processes that enhance their ability to find meaning in their work. Creation of and attention to team narratives and their role in team identity formation can enhance team members’ flourishing by placing team identity in the context of a larger story. Narratives of rescuing and fixing foster a sense of control and expertise while narratives of containing and healing nurture attention to mindful presence and human-to-human encounter.

Author(s):  
Polly Mazanec ◽  
Rebekah Reimer ◽  
Jessica Bullington ◽  
Patrick J. Coyne ◽  
Herman Harris ◽  
...  

This chapter defines the composition and roles of interdisciplinary team members on a palliative care team. The team has the responsibility to deliver patient-centered, family-focused care based on the recommendations from the National Consensus Project Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care. Within this chapter, interdisciplinary team members from an academic medical center discuss their respective roles on the team and describe how these roles supported a patient and family case study. The chapter provides an overview of the four most common models of palliative care delivery: inpatient consult teams, with or without a palliative care unit; ambulatory palliative care teams; community-based palliative care teams; and hospice teams. An introduction to essential considerations in the development of a palliative care team and the important components for maintaining a healthy, functional team are described.


2020 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2020-002274
Author(s):  
Eva Harris-Skillman ◽  
Stephen Chapman ◽  
Aoife Lowney ◽  
Mary Miller ◽  
William Flight

ObjectivesOptimal cystic fibrosis (CF) end-of-life care (EOLC) is a challenge. There is little formal guidance about who should deliver this and how CF multi-disciplinary teams should interact with specialist palliative care. We assessed the knowledge, experience and preparedness of both CF and palliative care professionals for CF EOLC.MethodsAn electronic questionnaire was distributed to all members of the Oxford adult CF and palliative care teams.Results35 of a possible 63 members responded (19 CF team; 16 palliative care). Levels of preparedness were low in both groups. Only 11% of CF and 19% of palliative care team members felt fully prepared for EOLC in adult CF. 58% of CF members had no (21%) or minimal (37%) general palliative care training. Similarly, 69% of the palliative care team had no CF-specific training. All respondents desired additional education. CF team members preferred further education in general EOLC while palliative care team members emphasised a need for more CF-specific knowledge.ConclusionsFew members of either the CF or palliative care teams felt fully prepared to deliver CF EOLC and many desired additional educations. They expressed complementary knowledge gaps, which suggests both could benefit from increased collaboration and sharing of specialist knowledge.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 956-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M Verberne ◽  
Antoinette YN Schouten-van Meeteren ◽  
Diederik K Bosman ◽  
Derk A Colenbrander ◽  
Charissa T Jagt ◽  
...  

Background: Parents of children with a life-limiting disease have to rely on themselves at home while adequate paediatric palliative care is lacking. In several countries, paediatric palliative care teams are introduced to ensure continuity and quality of care and to support the child and the family. Yet, little is known about how parents experience such multidisciplinary teams. Aim: To obtain insight into the support provided by a new paediatric palliative care team from the parents’ perspective. Design: An interpretative qualitative interview study using thematic analysis was performed. Setting/participants: A total of 47 single or repeated interviews were undertaken with 42 parents of 24 children supported by a multidisciplinary paediatric palliative care team located at a university children’s hospital. The children suffered from malignant or non-malignant diseases. Results: In advance, parents had limited expectations of the paediatric palliative care team. Some had difficulty accepting the need for palliative care for their child. Once parents experienced what the team achieved for their child and family, they valued the team’s involvement. Valuable elements were as follows: (1) process-related aspects such as continuity, coordination of care, and providing one reliable point of contact; (2) practical support; and (3) the team members’ sensitive and reliable attitude. As a point of improvement, parents suggested more concrete clarification upfront of the content of the team’s support. Conclusion: Parents feel supported by the paediatric palliative care team. The three elements valued by parents probably form the structure that underlies quality of paediatric palliative care. New teams should cover these three valuable elements.


2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
SHANE SINCLAIR ◽  
SHELLEY RAFFIN ◽  
JOSE PEREIRA ◽  
NANCY GUEBERT

Objective:Although spirituality as it relates to patients is gaining increasing attention, less is known about how health care professionals (HCP) experience spirituality personally or collectively in the workplace. This study explores the collective spirituality of an interdisciplinary palliative care team, by studying how individuals felt about their own spirituality, whether there was a shared sense of a team spirituality, how spirituality related to the care the team provided to patients and whether they felt that they provided spiritual care.Methods:A qualitative autoethnographic approach was used. The study was conducted in a 10-bed Tertiary Palliative Care Unit (TPCU) in a large acute-care referral hospital and cancer center. Interdisciplinary team members of the TPCU were invited to participate in one-to-one interviews and/or focus groups. Five interviews and three focus groups were conducted with a total of 20 participants.Results:Initially participants struggled to define spirituality. Concepts of spirituality relating to integrity, wholeness, meaning, and personal journeying emerged. For many, spirituality is inherently relational. Others acknowledged transcendence as an element of spirituality. Spirituality was described as being wrapped in caring and often manifests in small daily acts of kindness and of love, embedded within routine acts of caring. Palliative care served as a catalyst for team members' own spiritual journeys. For some participants, palliative care represented a spiritual calling. A collective spirituality stemming from common goals, values, and belonging surfaced.Significance of results:This was the first known study that focused specifically on the exploration of a collective spirituality. The culture of palliative care seems to foster spiritual reflection among health care professionals both as individuals and as a whole. While spirituality was difficult to describe, it was a shared experience often tangibly present in the provision of care on all levels.


The chapter underlines the importance of early involvement of the palliative care team to help patients to live better and longer. Palliative care is a multidisciplinary specialty and the role of community and inpatient nursing staff, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, and the bereavement, chaplaincy, and medical teams are discussed. The chapter also covers where palliative care is delivered, which can be at home as well as in a hospice or a hospital. Advice is given on where and when medical students can learn the most from the palliative care team, from listening to one of the palliative care consultants take a history to observing the palliative care team prescribing anticipatory medications for the dying patient. Symptom control, including pain, nausea and vomiting, anorexia, constipation, diarrhoea, and breathlessness are also discussed. The chapter focuses not only on the patient and her/his psychological and spiritual needs but also on family members and carers who might also have their own needs. The chapter underlines the importance of communication skills in palliative care and how medical students should observe carefully in either the hospice or in hospital to learn from interactions that are difficult as well as the ones that go well.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-49
Author(s):  
Colleen Webber ◽  
Aurelia Ona Valiulis ◽  
Peter Tanuseputro ◽  
Valerie Schulz ◽  
Tavis Apramian ◽  
...  

Background: Limited research has characterized team-based models of home palliative care and the outcomes of patients supported by these care teams. Case presentation: A retrospective case series describing care and outcomes of patients managed by the London Home Palliative Care Team between May 1, 2017 and April 1, 2019. Case management: The London Home Palliative Care (LHPC) Team care model is based upon 3 pillars: 1) physician visit availability 2) active patient-centered care with strong physician in-home presence and 3) optimal administrative organization. Case outcomes: In the 18 month study period, 354 patients received care from the London Home Palliative Care Team. Most significantly, 88.4% ( n = 313) died in the community or at a designated palliative care unit after prearranged direct transfer; no comparable provincial data is available. 21.2% ( n = 75) patients visited an emergency department and 24.6% ( n = 87) were admitted to hospital at least once in their final 30 days of life. 280 (79.1%) died in the community. These values are better than comparable provincial estimates of 62.7%, 61.7%, and 24.0%, respectively. Conclusion: The London Home Palliative Care (LHPC) Team model appears to favorably impact community death rate, ER visits and unplanned hospital admissions, as compared to accepted provincial data. Studies to determine if this model is reproducible could support palliative care teams achieving similar results.


2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Breiddal

Harsh experience reveals that preparing the interdisciplinary palliative care team members cannot be accomplished by sequestering students in single-discipline training. By combining different ways of knowing and being that are the underlying tenets of interdisciplinary education, we must—by design, curriculum, teaching strategies, and research—reflect the nature and practice of the interdisciplinary palliative care team. This kind of education is an imperative if we are going to meet our own goals to provide physical, emotional, and spiritual care to people at end-of-life. As educators, we must take to heart the responsibility to prepare students with the skills to apply their knowledge within the context of the palliative care setting, as practiced by the interdisciplinary team. This position is supported in the literature, is recommended by Health Canada, and is affirmed by experience in the field.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1072-1080
Author(s):  
Yvan Beaussant ◽  
Alexandra Nichipor ◽  
Tracy A. Balboni

Addressing spirituality within serious illness is a core dimension of palliative care delivery. However, spiritual care frequently lacks integration within the care of patients and families facing serious illness. This chapter discusses the integration of spiritual care into palliative care delivery. Requisite to this integration is a clear understanding of definitions and palliative care guidelines informing spiritual care provision. Furthermore, integration is informed and motivated by a large body of evidence showing how spiritual and religious factors frequently play salient roles in serious illness and influence palliative care outcomes. The integration of spiritual care into palliative care practice relies on a generalist–specialist model, within which all members of the interdisciplinary palliative care team are responsible for spiritual care provision. Non-spiritual care specialist members of the palliative care team are responsible for generalist spiritual care delivery, including taking spiritual histories and screening for spiritual needs. The care team also includes spiritual care specialists, typically board-certified chaplains, who provide in-depth spiritual care delivery to patients and families and aid the care team in understanding the spiritual and religious dimensions of care. Additionally, data regarding tested spiritual care interventions are discussed as potential tools palliative care teams can employ to improve patient care and outcomes. Finally, the integration of spiritual care into palliative care teams presents both opportunities and challenges that must be considered as efforts needed to foster more seamless spiritual care delivery within palliative care.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen Komatsu ◽  
Denise Hess

In the rapidly changing environment of 21st century healthcare, effective interdisciplinary team-based care is a key ingredient in providing whole person care across the continuum. Interdisciplinary teams face significant issues and challenges in providing whole person care given the boundaries that exist between various healthcare disciplines. Systemic institutional barriers and hierarchies commonly work against team communication, cooperation, and collaboration. These work environments contribute to work-related stress, staff turnover, inefficient, lower quality care, burnout, and compassion fatigue. Ultimately team environments that do not foster team member well-being are unlikely to find success in creating environments that foster whole person care. Given these realities, teams who hope to provide whole-person care need strategies for creating and sustaining a team environment of self-awareness, self-compassion, mindfulness and non-judgmental presence.This session will present the outcomes of three innovative approaches to interdisciplinary care team flourishing through case study analysis of hospital-based palliative care teams, and adult/pediatric hospice teams. The first intervention illustrates a process for developing and implementing a team retreat experience. Combining elements of team building, experiential learning and discussion of assigned readings, palliative care and hospice teams exhibit increased team trust, respect and communication across discipline boundaries. The second intervention demonstrates positive meaning-making through the use of a “spiritual narrative.” Through sustained reflection on a guiding metaphor, “spiritual narratives” enhance team identity formation, function, and sustainability. The third intervention outlines a model for group mindfulness meditation. Through regular practice of mindfulness meditation as an integrated component of the work day, team members sought to increase their self-awareness, presence, attunement and compassion in clinical interactions. Attendees of this workshop will be inspired and equipped to with new ways to enrich interdisciplinary team flourishing while providing excellent whole person care.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline Carniato Dalle Nogario ◽  
Edison Luiz Devos Barlem ◽  
Jamila Geri Tomaschewski-Barlem ◽  
Rosemary Silva da Silveira ◽  
Silvana Bastos Cogo ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective: To know the facilities and difficulties the palliative care team professionals experience in the implementation process of advance healthcare directives. Method: Exploratory-descriptive study with a qualitative approach, involving 51 professionals from seven palliative care teams in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The data were collected between December 2018 and April 2019 and discursive textual analysis was applied. Results: The facilities found were: the approach by the palliative care team; listening and respecting patients' wishes; effective communication between professionals, patients, and family members and resolution of difficult situations. The difficulties reported were: legal issues; the lack of knowledge of professionals about the subject; the lack of institutional protocols; the difficulty in talking about death and the family barrier. Conclusion: Despite the perceived facilities and difficulties, palliative care professionals intend to work based on the patients' desires and will, aiming to offer dignity in the dying process.


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