Serious illness conversations in patients with multiple myeloma and their family caregivers-A qualitative interview study

Compassionate Communication and Advance Care Planning to improve End-of-life Care in Treatment of Haematological Disease 'ACT': Study Protocol for a Cluster-randomized trial

INTRODUCTION

To support the implementation of advance care planning and serious illness conversations in haematology, a previously developed conversation intervention titled 'Advance Consultations Concerning your Life and Treatment' (ACT) was found feasible. This study aims to investigate the effect of ACT on the quality of end-of-life care in patients with haematological malignancy and their informal caregivers.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The study is a nationwide 2-arm cluster randomised trial randomising 40 physician-nurse clusters across seven haematological departments in Denmark to provide standard care or ACT intervention. A total of 400 patients with haematological malignancies and their informal caregivers will be included. The ACT intervention includes an ACT conversation that centres on discussing the patient's prognosis, worries, hopes and preferences for future treatment. The intervention is supported by clinician training and supervision, preparatory materials for patients and informal caregivers, and system changes including dedicated ACT-conversation timeslots and templates for documentation in medical records.This study includes two primary outcomes: (1) the proportion of patients receiving chemotherapy within the last 30 days of death and (2) patients' and informal caregivers' symptoms of anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7) at 3 6, 9, 12 and 18 months follow-up. Mixed effects models accounting for clusters will be used.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The Declaration of Helsinki and the European GDPR regulations as practised in Denmark are followed through all aspects of the study. Findings will be made available to the participants, patient organisations, funding bodies, healthcare professionals and researchers at national and international conferences and through publication in peer-reviewed international journals.

REGISTRATION DETAILS

The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05444348). The Regional Ethics Committee of the Capital Region of Denmark (record no: 21067634) has decided that approval is not necessary as per Danish legislation. Study approval has been obtained from The Capital Region of Denmark Data Protection Agency (record no: P-2022-93).

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT05444348.

Core Competencies for Serious Illness Conversations: An Integrative Systematic Review

Objective: The Serious Illness Care Program was developed to support goals and values discussions between seriously ill patients and their clinicians. The core competencies, that is, the essential clinical conversation skills that are described as requisite for effective serious illness conversations (SICs) in practice, have not yet been explicated. This integrative systematic review aimed to identify core competencies for SICs in the context of the Serious Illness Care Program. Methods: Articles published between January 2014 and March 2023 were identified in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and PubMed databases. In total, 313 records underwent title and abstract screening, and 96 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. The articles were critically appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Guidelines, and data were analyzed using thematic synthesis. Results: In total, 53 articles were included. Clinicians' core competencies for SICs were described in 3 themes: conversation resources, intrapersonal capabilities, and interpersonal capabilities. Conversation resources included using the conversation guide as a tool, together with applying appropriate communication skills to support better communication. Intrapersonal capabilities included calibrating one's own attitudes and mindset as well as confidence and self-assurance to engage in SICs. Interpersonal capabilities focused on the clinician's ability to interact with patients and family members to foster a mutually trusting relationship, including empathetic communication with attention and adherence to patient and family members views, goals, needs, and preferences. Conclusions: Clinicians need to efficiently combine conversation resources with intrapersonal and interpersonal skills to successfully conduct and interact in SICs.

Advance care planning with older Norwegian adults in their homes: a narrative ethnographic study

BACKGROUND

The aim of advance care planning (ACP) is to enable patients to define and discuss their values and preferences to ensure that the care they receive is consistent with their needs and wishes. Most studies of ACP with older adults focus on conversations conducted in institutions. This study aimed to explore how ACP with older patients is carried out and experienced by healthcare professionals when the conversations occur in their private homes.

METHODS

The data were obtained from participant observations of ACP conversations in the homes of eight older patients with advanced cancer, which also involved relatives and healthcare professionals. Additionally, ethnographic interviews were conducted with the healthcare professionals. We undertook a narrative analysis of what was said, and how the individuals acted and interacted.

RESULTS

The home influenced both the substance and form of the ACP conversations. The patients and relatives welcomed the healthcare professionals as guests and were encouraged to share their perceptions of their current situation, joys and worries. Their values were often implicit in their stories about past experiences. The planning mainly focused on life-prolonging treatment and the preferred future place of care. Several patients were not ready to discuss one or more ACP issues. The palliative-care-team physician addressed the patients' readiness for ACP by asking for permission to move on to a different topic, shifting between serious and lighter topics, and using elements from the home as 'door openers' to continue conversations. ACP conversations were an essential basis for future palliative care and cooperation, giving important additional information about the patient and their relatives.

CONCLUSION

Conducting the ACP conversations in the patients' homes ensured a homely atmosphere that facilitated a caring approach when sensitive issues were discussed, and in turn supported the identification of important personal values. The healthcare professionals expressed that the ACP conversations represented an essential common reference point and provided a shared awareness of the expected disease trajectory and the values, preferences and needs of the patient. These findings are particularly important given that many older patients struggle to verbalize or form an opinion on issues affecting their future.

Core elements of serious illness conversations: an integrative systematic review

BACKGROUND

Ariadne Labs' Serious Illness Care Program (SICP), inclusive of the Serious Illness Conversation Guide (SICG), has been adapted for use in a variety of settings and among diverse population groups. Explicating the core elements of serious illness conversations could support the inclusion or exclusion of certain components in future iterations of the programme and the guide.

AIM

This integrative systematic review aimed to identify and describe core elements of serious illness conversations in relation to the SICP and/or SICG.

DESIGN

Literature published between 1 January 2014 and 20 March 2023 was searched in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and PubMed. All articles were evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Guidelines. Data were analysed with thematic synthesis.

RESULTS

A total of 64 articles met the inclusion criteria. Three themes were revealed: (1) serious illness conversations serve different functions that are reflected in how they are conveyed; (2) serious illness conversations endeavour to discover what matters to patients and (3) serious illness conversations seek to align what patients want in their life and care.

CONCLUSIONS

Core elements of serious illness conversations included explicating the intention, framing, expectations and directions for the conversation. This encompassed discussing current and possible trajectories with a view towards uncovering matters of importance to the patient as a person. Preferences and priorities could be used to inform future preparation and recommendations. Serious illness conversation elements could be adapted and altered depending on the intended purpose of the conversation.

Experiences and perspectives of healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers toward the serious illness conversation guide: protocol for a qualitative meta-synthesis

INTRODUCTION

Exploring the experiences and perspectives of healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers toward serious illness conversations based on the Serious Illness Care Program is vital for improving communication with patients who are seriously ill, as has been shown in previous studies. However, few studies have carried out a systematic review to examine common themes, strengthen conclusions and identify gaps in the literature, the findings of which could help steer further research, policies and practice to improve more timely and person-centred conversations about the values and priorities of patients with serious illnesses. The objective of this qualitative meta-synthesis is to explore how healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers described their own experiences of the processes of serious illness communication through a secondary analysis of published qualitative data.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Meta-aggregation will be used to conduct a systematic review of qualitative studies. We conducted an initial search on 10 October 2023; papers published in English will be searched using electronic databases, including PubMed (MEDLINE), Web of Science, Embase, Ovid and CINAHL. Studies that satisfy the eligibility criteria will be evaluated for methodological quality using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. The meta-aggregative review will consist of the following: (1) extraction of findings of all included studies; (2) categorisation of the findings, with at least two findings per category; and (3) synthesis of one or more findings from at least two categories. Study eligibility screening, data extraction, analysis and JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research assessments will be undertaken independently by two authors.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Secondary data analysis of published literature does not require ethical approval. The results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and presented in conference papers and elsewhere.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42022330859.

Experiences and preferences for psychosocial support: a qualitative study exploring the views of patients with chronic haematological cancers

OBJECTIVES

Patients with chronic haematological cancers are often treated on a relapsing-remitting pathway, which may extend for many years. Such diagnoses are associated with uncertainties that often cause anxiety and distress, meaning patients (and families) are susceptible to potentially prolonged emotional difficulties, across the cancer journey. Experiences and preferences regarding psychosocial needs and support over time are relatively unexplored, which this study aimed to address.

SETTING AND DESIGN

Set within the UK's Haematological Malignancy Research Network (an ongoing population-based cohort that generates evidence to underpin improved clinical practice) a qualitative, exploratory study was conducted, using semistructured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to assess the interview data via an exploratory, inductive approach, underpinned by the research questions.

PARTICIPANTS

Thirty-five patients were included with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, follicular lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma or myeloma; 10 of whom were interviewed alongside a relative.

RESULTS

Five themes were identified from the data: (1) accessing support, (2) individual coping behaviour affecting support preferences, (3) divergent and fluctuating thoughts on patient support forums, (4) the role, influence and needs of family and friends and (5) other sources of support and outstanding needs. Findings suggest that patients' individual attitudes towards support varied over time. This also influenced whether support was perceived to be available, and if it was then used.

CONCLUSION

This study highlighted the variation in preferences towards psychosocial support among patients with chronic haematological cancers. As patients can live for many years with significant emotional difficulties, they may benefit from frequent monitoring of their psychosocial well-being, as well as signposting to holistic support, if this is needed.

Interdisciplinary collaboration in serious illness conversations in patients with multiple myeloma and caregivers - a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

There is growing evidence that conversations between healthcare professionals and patients with serious illness can improve the quality of end-of-life cancer care. Yet, there is lack of insight into how different healthcare professions collaborate to deliver serious illness communication, as well as patients' and caregivers' perceptions of this collaboration between the nurse and physician. This study explores the interdisciplinary collaboration between nurses and physicians in serious illness conversations with patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma and their caregivers.

METHODS

Eleven dyadic interviews were conducted with 22 patients and caregivers, and two focus group interviews involving four nurses and the other with four physicians. Data analysis and reporting were conducted using reflexive thematic analysis within phenomenological epistemology.

RESULTS

The interdisciplinary collaboration was characterized by three main themes: (1) Importance of relationships, (2) Complementary perspectives, and (3) The common goal.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the importance of interdisciplinarity in serious illness conversations as it enhances the use of existential and descriptive language when addressing medical, holistic, and existential issues. The use of broader language also reflects that interdisciplinary interaction strengthens the expertise of each professional involved in patient care. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, the preferences, hopes, and values of the patient and caregiver can be integrated into the treatment plan, which is key in providing the delivery of optimal care. To promote cohesive and coordinated collaboration, organizational changes are recommended such as supporting continuity in patient-healthcare professional relationships, providing interdisciplinary training, and allocating time for pre-conversation preparation and post-conversation debriefing.

Caring Spiritually: A Study on Spiritual Care Training in a Hospice Setting

Spiritual care can improve patients' physical and emotional well-being, but patients at the end of life often experience their spiritual needs are not being sufficiently met by the health care professionals. This is caused by barriers among health care professionals that stem from inadequate education on spiritual care and lack of self-reflection on spiritual topics. By participating in spiritual care training, health care professionals seem to gain the knowledge, confidence, and skills they need to care spiritually for patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect and experiences of a training course in spiritual care for 30 nurses working at a Danish hospice. This was done by means of both a before-and-after questionnaire and focus group interviews. The course focused primarily on the nurses and their personal and collegial reflections on spiritual care, whereas increased spiritual care for patients seemed to be a secondary outcome of the course. There was a significant statistical correlation between the nurses' values and spirituality, and their confidence in being able to exercise spiritual care for patients. The training course facilitated spiritual empowerment, collegial spiritual care, and spiritual language among the nurses, which led to increased spiritual care for patients.

Providing Care to People Living with a Chronic Hematological Malignancy: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis of Informal Carers' Experiences

OBJECTIVE

Chronic hematological malignancies such as multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), indolent B-cell lymphomas, and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have seen significant advances in treatment. Treatment developments have resulted in patients living for many years, often between periods of being acutely unwell, relapses, and remission. Informal carers play a major role in supporting patients through the uncertain and long illness trajectory. This qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) aims to synthesize qualitative research evidence on the experiences of informal carers caring for a patient with a chronic hematological malignancy (CHM).

DATA SOURCES

This qualitative evidence synthesis followed the Enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research (ENTREQ) guidelines and adopted a "best fit" framework synthesis approach using a "redefining normal" conceptual framework. A systematic search of seven databases was undertaken.

CONCLUSION

Sixteen qualitative studies were synthesized in this review. Eight review findings illuminated carers' unmet information needs, challenges with caring responsibilities, end-of-life care, and changes in the dyad carer-patient relationship.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

This best-fit framework synthesis illuminates the wide-ranging challenges experienced by informal caregivers of people living with a chronic hematological malignancy. Carers' fear for the future highlights the need for interventions to support them with their fears. Carers' priority on their loved one's quality of life is impaired by late end-of-life discussions often not occurring until a sudden deterioration in the patient's condition. Early supportive relationships between carers and health care providers can promote conversations on poor prognosis and end-of-life care. Future research should focus on qualitative longitudinal studies with caregiver-patient dyads.