[Save life--allow death. Collation of emergency missions for terminally ill patients]

„Leben retten bis der Arzt kommt?“

Hintergrund

Einsätze in Notfallsituationen bei Patienten mit fortgeschrittener, unheilbarer Erkrankung stellen für das Rettungsdienstpersonal eine besondere Belastung dar. Für ersteintreffendes nichtärztliches Rettungsdienstpersonal ergeben sich dabei Situationen, in denen Entscheidungen getroffen werden müssen, die außerhalb des erlernten oder rechtlich zugesicherten Kompetenzbereichs liegen. Ziel dieser Arbeit war daher die Darstellung von Konflikten und deren Belastungsauswirkung sowie die Diskussion über eine mögliche Erweiterung der therapeutischen Entscheidungskompetenz des nichtärztlichen Rettungsdienstpersonals als Entlastungsoption.

Material/Methoden

Online-Befragung von Rettungsassistenten und Notfallsanitätern („mixed methods design“) zu deren Konflikten und wahrgenommenen Belastungen. Analyse der Freitextantworten mittels qualitativer Inhaltsanalyse (Mayring). Deskriptiv-statistische Analyse der wahrgenommenen Belastungsintensitäten und Belastungshäufigkeiten.

Ergebnisse

Im Umgang mit Patienten mit fortgeschrittener unheilbarer Erkrankung erlebt das nichtärztliche Rettungsdienstpersonal einen konflikthaften und belastenden Entscheidungs- und Handlungsdruck. Die Konflikte können in vier Dimensionen eingeordnet werden: a) patientenbezogen, b) strukturell, c) persönlich und d) interprofessionell. Eine Erweiterung der therapeutischen Entscheidungskompetenz des nichtärztlichen Rettungsdienstpersonals zur Therapiebegrenzung wurde kritisch und vorbehaltlich wahrgenommen.

Diskussion

Die vom nichtärztlichen Rettungsdienstpersonal beschriebenen Konflikte erfordern vielschichtige Lösungsansätze, wie zum Beispiel themenspezifische Fort- und Weiterbildungsprogramme wie auch regional-strukturelle Konzepte einer gesundheitlichen Versorgungsplanung.

Challenges Faced by Prehospital Emergency Physicians Providing Emergency Care to Patients with Advanced Incurable Diseases

Introduction

The aim of our study was to investigate challenges faced by emergency physicians (EPs) who provide prehospital emergency care to patients with advanced incurable diseases and family caregivers in their familiar home environment.

Methods

Qualitative study using semistructured interviews with open-ended questions to collect data from 24 EPs. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results

We identified nine categories of challenges: structural conditions of prehospital emergency care, medical documentation and orders, finding optimal patient-centered therapy, uncertainty about legal consequences, challenges at the individual (EP) level, challenges at the emergency team level, family caregiver's emotions, coping and understanding of patient's illness, patient's wishes, coping and understanding of patient's illness, and social, cultural, and religious background of patients and families. EPs strengthened that the integrations of specialized prehospital palliative care services improved emergency care by providing resources to patients and family caregivers, enhancing the quality and availability of medical documentation and accessibility of aftercare in emergencies. Areas of improvement that were identified were to promote emergency physicians' knowledge and skills in palliative care, communication, and family caregiver support by education and training. Furthermore, structures for better care on-site, thorough medical documentation, and specialized palliative care emergency facilities in hospital and prehospital care were requested.

Conclusion

Prehospital emergency care in patients with advanced incurable diseases in their familiar home environment may be improved by training EPs in palliative care, communication, and caregiver support competences. Results underline the importance of collaborative specialized palliative care and prehospital emergency care.

[Outpatient palliative medicine : Attitudes in the care of palliative emergencies. Prospective questionnaire-based investigation]

BACKGROUND

The right to adequate outpatient palliative care has existed for several years in Germany. In recent years outpatient palliative care has developed very positively. Nevertheless, in emergency situations paramedics and emergency physicians were often included in the care of palliative care of patients. The aim of our study was to investigate the cooperation between outpatient palliative care teams and the emergency medical services. Another aim was to identify structural realities and based on these to discuss the possibilities in the optimization of outpatient palliative medical emergency situations.

METHODS

A standardized self-designed questionnaire was distributed to specialized outpatient palliative care teams (SPCS) in Germany. For this purpose, closed and open questions (mixed methods) were used. The evaluation was carried out according to the questionnaire categories in quantitative and qualitative forms. The questionnaire was subdivided into general information and specific questions.

RESULTS

The survey response rate was 79% from a total of 81 SPCS in 2011. The following standards in palliative emergency care were recommended: (1) early integration of outpatient palliative care services and basic outpatient palliative care systems, (2) end-of-life discussions, (3) defined emergency medical documents, emergency drug boxes, do not attempt resuscitation orders and (4) emergency medical training (physicians and paramedics).

CONCLUSION

Outpatient palliative care in Germany has developed very positively during the last years; however, there are still deficits in terms of optimal patient care, one of which refers to the treatment of palliative care emergencies. In this context, optimization in the cooperation between outpatient palliative care services and emergency medical services should be discussed.

[Social aspects of emergency calls in the rescue service]

BACKGROUND

Many missions in the preclinical emergency services seem to be triggered by false indications as defined by the Federal State Rescue Act. These emergency calls are often a result of or associated with social issues. Emergency rescue personnel are confronted with social problems and as a result often feel left alone with the problem.

AIM

This article promotes the understanding of emergency service personnel for the associations between social problems and health. Solution strategies for frequent social emergencies are described.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This article demonstrates the associations between socioeconomic status, health and disease. Typical indications for missions in which social aspects play an important role are presented and solution strategies for the approach are suggested. A discussion is presented on how to deal with cases of child abuse and domestic violence. Three classical psychiatric problem areas with common social components are explained: psychomotor state of excitation, suicide and alcohol-associated incidents and special attention is paid to danger to third parties and aggressive patients. In addition to the treatment of medical conditions, social problems play an important role particularly for the elderly and chronically ill patients.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Emergency personnel have only limited options for dealing with such problems; however, it is important to be aware of regional structures and non-medical organizations, which might be of help in such situations. These include social services, youth welfare services, crisis interventions teams and social psychiatric services.

"It is not the fading candle that one expects": general practitioners' perspectives on life-preserving versus "letting go" decision-making in end-of-life home care

BACKGROUND

Many general practitioners (GPs) are willing to provide end-of-life (EoL) home care for their patients. International research on GPs' approach to care in patients' final weeks of life showed a combination of palliative measures with life-preserving actions.

AIM

To explore the GP's perspective on life-preserving versus "letting go" decision-making in EoL home care.

DESIGN

Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 52 Belgian GPs involved in EoL home care.

RESULTS

Nearly all GPs adopted a palliative approach and an accepting attitude towards death. The erratic course of terminal illness can challenge this approach. Disruptive medical events threaten the prospect of a peaceful end-phase and death at home and force the GP either to maintain the patient's (quality of) life for the time being or to recognize the event as a step to life closure and "letting the patient go". Making the "right" decision was very difficult. Influencing factors included: the nature and time of the crisis, a patient's clinical condition at the event itself, a GP's level of determination in deciding and negotiating "letting go" and the patient's/family's wishes and preparedness regarding this death. Hospitalization was often a way out.

CONCLUSIONS

GPs regard alternation between palliation and life-preservation as part of palliative care. They feel uncertain about their mandate in deciding and negotiating the final step to life closure. A shortage of knowledge of (acute) palliative medicine as one cause of difficulties in letting-go decisions may be underestimated. Sharing all these professional responsibilities with the specialist palliative home care teams would lighten a GP's burden considerably. Key Points A late transition from a life-preserving mindset to one of "letting go" has been reported as a reason why physicians resort to life-preserving actions in an end-of-life (EoL) context. We investigated GPs' perspectives on this matter. Not all GPs involved in EoL home care adopt a "letting go" mindset. For those who do, this mindset is challenged by the erratic course of terminal illness. GPs prioritize the quality of the remaining life and the serenity of the dying process, which is threatened by disruptive medical events. Making the "right" decision is difficult. GPs feel uncertain about their own role and responsibility in deciding and negotiating the final step to life closure.

International recommendations for outpatient palliative care and prehospital palliative emergencies - a prospective questionnaire-based investigation

Background

To determine the international recommendations and current practices for the treatment and prevention of palliative emergencies. The primary goal of the study was to gather information from experts on their nationally practised concepts.

Methods

One hundred and fifty self-report surveys were distributed by email to selected leading experts (palliative and emergency medical care) in Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. An expert in this context was defined as an author of an article that was ranked by three reviewers as relevant to outpatient palliative and emergency medical .

Results

The total response rate was 61% (n = 92 experts). Survey responses were obtained from 35 different countries. The following standards in the treatment of palliative emergencies were recommended: (1) early integration of “Palliative Care Teams” (PCTs) and basic outpatient palliative care systems, (2) end-of-life discussions, (3) defined emergency medical documents, drug boxes, and “Do not attempt resuscitation” orders and (4) emergency medical training (physicians and paramedics).

Conclusions

This study detected structurally and nationally differences in outpatient palliative care regarding the treatment of palliative emergencies. Accordingly, these differences should be discussed and adapted to the respective specifications of individual single countries. A single established outpatient palliative emergency medical care concept may be the basis for an overall out-of-hospital palliative care system.