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Stajduhar KI, Giesbrecht M, Mollison A, Whitlock K, Burek P, Black F, Gerke J, Dosani N, Colgan S. "You can't die here": an exploration of the barriers to dying-in-place for structurally vulnerable populations in an urban centre in British Columbia, Canada. BMC Palliat Care 2024; 23:12. [PMID: 38200482 PMCID: PMC10782732 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-024-01340-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND One measure of quality in palliative care involves ensuring people approaching the end of life are able to receive care, and ultimately die, in the places they choose. Canadian palliative care policy directives stem from this tenet of autonomy, acknowledging that most people prefer to die at home, where they feel safe and comfortable. Limited research, however, considers the lack of 'choice' people positioned as structurally vulnerable (e.g., experiencing extreme poverty, homelessness, substance-use/criminalization, etc.) have in regard to places of care and death, with the option of dying-in-place most often denied. METHODS Drawing from ethnographic and participatory action research data collected during two studies that took place from 2014 to 2019 in an urban centre in British Columbia, Canada, this analysis explores barriers preventing people who experience social and structural inequity the option to die-in-place. Participants include: (1) people positioned as structurally vulnerable on a palliative trajectory; (2) their informal support persons/family caregivers (e.g., street family); (3) community service providers (e.g., housing workers, medical professionals); and (4) key informants (e.g., managers, medical directors, executive directors). Data includes observational fieldnotes, focus group and interviews transcripts. Interpretive thematic analytic techniques were employed. RESULTS Participants on a palliative trajectory lacked access to stable, affordable, or permanent housing, yet expressed their desire to stay 'in-place' at the end of life. Analysis reveals three main barriers impeding their 'choice' to remain in-place at the end of life: (1) Misaligned perceptions of risk and safety; (2) Challenges managing pain in the context of substance use, stigma, and discrimination; and (3) Gaps between protocols, policies, and procedures for health teams. CONCLUSIONS Findings demonstrate how the rhetoric of 'choice' in regard to preferred place of death is ethically problematic because experienced inequities are produced and constrained by socio-structural forces that reach beyond individuals' control. Ultimately, our findings contribute suggestions for policy, programs and practice to enhance inclusiveness in palliative care. Re-defining 'home' within palliative care, enhancing supports, education, and training for community care workers, integrating palliative approaches to care into the everyday work of non-health care providers, and acknowledging, valuing, and building upon existing relations of care can help to overcome existing barriers to delivering palliative care in various settings and increase the opportunity for all to spend their end of life in the places that they prefer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelli I Stajduhar
- Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Melissa Giesbrecht
- Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada.
| | - Ashley Mollison
- Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Kara Whitlock
- Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Piotr Burek
- Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Fraser Black
- Faculty of Medicine - Island Medical Program, University of British Columbia, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Jill Gerke
- Palliative and End of Life Care Program, Vancouver Island Health Authority, 1952 Bay Street, Victoria, BC, V8R 1J8, Canada
| | - Naheed Dosani
- Palliative Care Physician, Department of Family & Community Medicine, St Michael's Hospital at Unity Health Toronto, 36 Queen St E, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada
| | - Simon Colgan
- Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
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Pollock K, Caswell G, Turner N, Wilson E. The ideal and the real: Patient and bereaved family caregiver perspectives on the significance of place of death. DEATH STUDIES 2023; 48:312-325. [PMID: 37338854 PMCID: PMC10860700 DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2023.2225042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Home has become established as the preferred place of death within health policy and practice in the UK and internationally. However, growing awareness of the structured inequalities underpinning end-of-life care and the challenges for family members undertaking care at home raise questions about the nature of patient and public preferences and priorities regarding place of death and the feasibility of home management of the complex care needs at the end-of-life. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study of 12 patients' and 34 bereaved family caregivers' perspectives and priorities regarding place of death. Participants expressed complex and nuanced accounts in which place of death was not afforded an overarching priority. The study findings point to public pragmatism and flexibility in relation to place of death, and the misalignment of current policy with public priorities that are predominantly for comfort and companionship at the end-of-life, regardless of place.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristian Pollock
- School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Glenys Caswell
- School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Nicola Turner
- School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Eleanor Wilson
- School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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Death, dying and disparity: an ethnography of differently priced residential care homes for older people. AGEING & SOCIETY 2023. [DOI: 10.1017/s0144686x22001507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Recent scholarship has highlighted the experiences of, and various challenges faced by, dying persons and the workers tasked with end-of-life care. However, research has not sufficiently considered what symbolic resources – such as beliefs, rituals and vocabularies – are drawn upon by care workers when caring for dying and deceased residents in care homes, together with how this is informed by financial regimes. I address this deficit by drawing upon an extensive ethnographic study, undertaken in southern England (United Kingdom) between 2013 and 2014, at two residential care homes (one low-cost and one high-cost) for older people. Counter to analyses of death and dying that too frequently foreground the extraordinary, rather than the mundane and everyday, I examine the gaping disparities between two differently priced settings. In the low-cost home, residents experience a social and moral death. The dying and the dead are treated with disregard and indifference. In the high-cost home, caring for the living was extended beyond the biological termination of life. This was influenced not only by the marketing of ‘high-quality’ care, but also by workers and residents who, in their gestures and rituals of honouring, remembering and mourning the dead, made high-quality care possible. My analysis shows, then, how cavernous inequities unfold within the care sector and how, in turn, experiences of death and dying are deeply fragmented by the market. I conclude by arguing that researchers must both take the normative and symbolic culture of care work seriously and examine how the availability of this is directly impacted by the costing and funding of care. Doing so, I argue, allows us to work towards establishing a care sector that is equitable both for older people and care workers.
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Martí-García C, Fernández-Férez A, Fernández-Sola C, Pérez-Rodríguez R, Esteban-Burgos AA, Hernández-Padilla JM, Granero-Molina J. Patients' experiences and perceptions of dignity in end-of-life care in emergency departments: A qualitative study. J Adv Nurs 2023; 79:269-280. [PMID: 36062865 PMCID: PMC10087743 DOI: 10.1111/jan.15432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 07/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To explore and understand the experiences of patients with advanced illness in relation to dignity during end-of-life care in emergency departments. DESIGN Qualitative study based on Gadamer's hermeneutics. METHODS Between September 2019 and February 2020, 16 in-depth interviews were carried out with advanced illness patients who attended emergency departments. The participants were informed priorly and signed informed consent. The data were analysed using an inductive strategy for finding emerging themes. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research was used for writing the study's report. RESULTS In the data analysis process, two main themes emerged that glean the experiences of patients in relation to dignity during end-of-life care in emergency departments. 'Dignity as an individual's attribute' and 'Acting with dignity: Dignity as a behavioural attribute'. CONCLUSION Patient dignity in end-of-life care is centred around the principle of control (of oneself, one's death and one's emotions). The strategies required for patients to preserve their dignity can be somewhat incompatible with the dynamics and objectives of healthcare professionals who work in emergency departments. IMPACT STATEMENT The dignity of patients with advanced illness who attend emergency departments is a relevant issue that merits being addressed from the patients' perspective. Participants have identified that dignity is a way of being and behaving in the face of illness. Emergency departments need to respect end-of-life patients' desires by supporting and accompanying them, avoiding therapeutic obstinacy. We recommend care to be centred on patients' well-being, to respect their autonomy and decision-making processes, and to allow prompt referrals to palliative care services. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION Managers from the Emergency Departments participated in the study design and patients' recruitment. Patients' relatives were informed about the study's aim, and they contributed to the development of the interview protocol.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cayetano Fernández-Sola
- Department of Nursing Science, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, Spain.,Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | | | | | | | - José Granero-Molina
- Department of Nursing Science, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, Spain.,Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Borgstrom E, Dekker NL. Standardising care of the dying: An ethnographic analysis of the Liverpool Care Pathway in England and the Netherlands. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 2022; 44:1445-1460. [PMID: 35983954 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP) was a prominent set of guidance in the late 2000s and early 2010s within palliative and end-of-life care. Developed in England to improve the care of dying patients, it was later adopted in 20 counties. After a public scandal, it was removed from practice in England but remains in other locations, including the Netherlands. Drawing on two sets of ethnographic data, from England and the Netherlands, we consider the ways in which the LCP was engaged with as a form of standardisation aimed at improving practice, how it was deployed in relation to other forms of knowledge, and the political and moral statements that are being made through the (selective) use of it. Looking into the use of the LCP shows that, while the LCP attempts to standardise some of the values associated with palliative care, there are significant differences between how these standardised values are then enacted in different institutional and national contexts and by different individual care professionals. We conclude that the LCP was used to impart moral values, establish protocols of care, and demonstrate professionalism, showing the multiplicity of the use of standards in healthcare practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica Borgstrom
- School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Natashe Lemos Dekker
- Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Bindley K, Lewis J, Travaglia J, DiGiacomo M. Bureaucracy and burden: An Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis of social welfare policy with consequences for carers of people with life-limiting illness. Palliat Med 2022; 37:543-557. [PMID: 36114642 DOI: 10.1177/02692163221122289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND For informal carers of people with life-limiting illness, social welfare policy related to income support and housing has been associated with varied psychosocial issues, yet remains relatively under-explored. An intersectional approach offers potential to illuminate diverse experiences and implications. AIM To explore the way in which caring in the context of life-limiting illness is framed within welfare policy, to articulate inequities encountered by carers, and to identify policy and practice recommendations. DESIGN The Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) Framework was used to situate findings of a broader qualitative study. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with participants who were bereaved carers (n = 12), welfare workers (n = 14) and palliative care workers (n = 7), between November 2018 and April 2020, in an Australian region associated with socioeconomic disadvantage. Five elements of IBPA were applied to the products of analysis of this data. RESULTS Use of the IBPA Framework revealed that representations of carers and causes of their welfare needs in policy were underpinned by several assumptions; including that caring and grieving periods are temporary or brief, and that carers have adequate capacity to navigate complex systems. Policy and processes had differentiated consequences for carers, with those occupying certain social locations prone to accumulating disadvantage. CONCLUSIONS This intersectional analysis establishes critical exploration of the framing and consequences of welfare policy for carers of people with life-limiting illness, presented in a novel conceptual model. Implications relate to intersectoral development of structural competency, responsiveness to structurally vulnerable carers in clinical practice, and needed policy changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Bindley
- Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care through Clinical Research and Translation (IMPACCT), Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia.,Supportive and Palliative Care, Western Sydney Local Health District, Mount Druitt, NSW, Australia
| | - Joanne Lewis
- School of Nursing and Health, Avondale University, Wahroonga, NSW, Australia.,School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Joanne Travaglia
- Health Services Management, School of Public Health, The University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Michelle DiGiacomo
- Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care through Clinical Research and Translation (IMPACCT), Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
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Sathiananthan MK, Crawford GB, Eliott J. Healthcare professionals' perspectives of patient and family preferences of patient place of death: a qualitative study. BMC Palliat Care 2021; 20:147. [PMID: 34544398 PMCID: PMC8454022 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-021-00842-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Home death is one of the key performance indicators of the quality of palliative care service delivery. Such a measure has direct implications on everyone involved at the end of life of a dying patient, including a patient's carers and healthcare professionals. There are no studies that focus on the views of the team of integrated inpatient and community palliative care service staff on the issue of preference of place of death of their patients. This study addresses that gap. METHODS Thirty-eight participants from five disciplines in two South Australian (SA) public hospitals working within a multidisciplinary inpatient and community integrated specialist palliative care service, participated in audio-recorded focus groups and one-on-one interviews. Data were transcribed and thematically analysed. RESULTS Two major and five minor themes were identified. The first theme focused on the role of healthcare professionals in decisions regarding place of death, and consisted of two minor themes, that healthcare professionals act to: a) mediate conversations between patient and carer; and b) adjust expectations and facilitate informed choice. The second theme, healthcare professionals' perspectives on the preference of place of death, comprised three minor themes, identifying: a) the characteristics of the preferred place of death; b) home as a romanticised place of death; and c) the implications of idealising home death. CONCLUSION Healthcare professionals support and actively influence the decision-making of patients and family regarding preference of place of death whilst acting to protect the relationship between the patient and their family/carer. Further, according to healthcare professionals, home is neither always the most preferred nor the ideal place for death. Therefore, branding home death as the ideal and hospital death as a failure sets up families/carers to feel guilty if a home death is not achieved and undermines the need for and appropriateness of death in institutionalised settings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gregory B Crawford
- Northern Adelaide Palliative Services, Northern Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, South Australia.,Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Jaklin Eliott
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
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