Delivering research in end-of-life care: problems, pitfalls and future priorities

Advance care planning for patients with end-stage kidney disease on dialysis: narrative review of the current evidence, and future considerations

Patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) have a high symptom-burden and high rates of morbidity and mortality. Despite this, evidence has shown that this patient group does not have timely discussions to plan for deterioration and death, and at the end of life there are unmet palliative care needs. Advance care planning is a process that can help patients share their personal values and preferences for their future care and prepare for declining health. Earlier, more integrated and holistic advance care planning has the potential to improve access to care services, communication, and preparedness for future decision-making and changing circumstances. However, there are many barriers to successful implementation of advance care planning in this population. In this narrative review we discuss the current evidence for advance care planning in patients on dialysis, the data around the barriers to advance care planning implementation, and interventions that have been trialled. The review explores whether the concepts and approaches to advance care planning in this population need to be updated to encompass current and future care. It suggests that a shift from a problem-orientated approach to a goal-orientated approach may lead to better engagement, with more patient-centred and satisfying outcomes.

Qualified and motivated, but limited by specialty-specific barriers: a national survey of UK Palliative Medicine consultants research experience

OBJECTIVES

Providing high-quality safe palliative care requires high-quality clinically driven research. Little is known about how to optimise clinical research capacity in this field.To understand interest and capacity to conduct clinical research in palliative medicine and identify key facilitators and barriers, by surveying palliative medicine consultants and academic trainees.

METHODS

National online survey exploring experience in conducting research, including facilitators and barriers. Sent to all current UK palliative medicine consultants, and previous/current academic trainees. Descriptive statistics are reported with framework analysis of free text responses.

RESULTS

195 surveys were submitted including 15 respondents with Integrated Academic Training (IAT) experience. 78% (n=140/180) of consultants were interested in conducting research. Despite this enthusiasm, 83% had no allocated time within their job plan. 88% of those who undertook IAT would recommend IAT, but 60% reported difficulty transitioning from academic trainee to research active consultant.Barriers to research included; insufficient research culture and integration, with small teams working in a mixture of National Health Service (NHS) and non-NHS settings, leading to isolated, silo working. Even those who had undertaken IAT, felt a 'cliff edge' in opportunities after completing IAT. Filling service gaps was routinely prioritised over research activity.

CONCLUSION

Palliative medicine consultants, including those who have completed academic training want to conduct research but overwhelming barriers limit activity. A palliative care-specific strategy that permeates different palliative care settings, promotes interspecialty collaboration and improves the current infrastructure for palliative care research to maximise gains from IAT and embed a research culture are suggested.

Identifying older adults with frailty approaching end-of-life: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

People with frailty may have specific needs for end-of-life care, but there is no consensus on how to identify these people in a timely way, or whether they will benefit from intervention.

AIM

To synthesise evidence on identification of older people with frailty approaching end-of-life, and whether associated intervention improves outcomes.

DESIGN

Systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42020462624).

DATA SOURCES

Six databases were searched, with no date restrictions, for articles reporting prognostic or intervention studies. Key inclusion criteria were adults aged 65 and over, identified as frail via an established measure. End-of-life was defined as the final 12 months. Key exclusion criteria were proxy definitions of frailty, or studies involving people with cancer, even if also frail.

RESULTS

Three articles met the inclusion criteria. Strongest evidence came from one study in English primary care, which showed distinct trajectories in electronic Frailty Index scores in the last 12 months of life, associated with increased risk of death. We found no studies evaluating established clinical tools (e.g. Gold Standards Framework) with existing frail populations. We found no intervention studies; the literature on advance care planning with people with frailty has relied on proxy definitions of frailty.

CONCLUSION

Clear implications for policy and practice are hindered by the lack of studies using an established approach to assessing frailty. Future end-of-life research needs to use explicit approaches to the measurement and reporting of frailty, and address the evidence gap on interventions. A focus on models of care that incorporate a palliative approach is essential.

Successful Strategies and Areas of Improvement-Lessons Learned from Design and Conduction of a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial in Palliative Care, 'Palliative-D'

Clinical trials in palliative care are challenging to design and conduct. Burden on patients should be minimized, while gatekeeping by professionals and next-of kin needs to be avoided. Clinical deterioration due to disease progression affects attrition unrelated to intervention, and different care settings complicate comparisons and reduce the generalizability of the results. The aim of this review is to provide advice for colleagues planning to perform clinical trials in palliative care based on our own experiences from performing the Palliative-D study and by a thorough literature review on this topic. The Palliative-D study was a double-blind trial with 244 randomized patients comparing the effect of vitamin D₃ to placebo in patients with advanced or metastatic cancer in the palliative phase of their disease trajectory who were enrolled in specialized palliative home care teams. Endpoints were opioid and antibiotic use, fatigue, and QoL. Recruitment was successful, but attrition rates were higher than expected, and we did not reach targeted power. For the 150 patients who completed the study, the completeness of the data was exceptionally high. Rather than patient reported pain, we choose the difference in the mean change in opioid dose between groups after twelve weeks compared to baseline as the primary endpoint. In this paper we discuss challenges in palliative care research based on lessons learned from the "Palliative-D" trial regarding successful strategies as well as areas for improvement.

Effects of dignity therapy on palliative patients’ family members: A systematic review

Objective

Dignity therapy (DT) is a kind of psychotherapy that identifies the main concerns of end-of-life patients that affect their perception of dignity and helps them to find a new meaning in life. Most prior studies on DT analyze outcomes for palliative care patients. The aim of this systematic review is to explore the outcomes of DT in palliative care patients’ family members.

Method

In June 2020, a bibliographic search was performed using the terms “Dignity Therapy” and “Palliative Care” in the following databases: Cochrane library, TRIP database, PUBMED, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge. Of the 294 articles found, 8 met the selection criteria and were considered in the present study. No articles were excluded based on their publication date.

Results

Family members generally believe that DT helps them to better prepare the patient's end-of-life and overcome the bereavement phase. The legacy document was considered a source of comfort, and most would recommend DT to other people in their situation. DT is generally considered as important as any other aspect of the patient's treatment.

Significance of results

There is evidence of the benefits of DT for palliative patients’ family members. However, there are still few studies that evaluate these outcomes. The existing evidence is poorly generalized, and thus, further studies are needed to deeply explore the benefits of this therapy both for patients and their families.

Palliative Medicine Specialist Trainee Research experience, interest and opportunities: a national survey

OBJECTIVES

Despite the acknowledged benefits of research, Palliative Medicine receives minimal research funding and has few dedicated research training posts. This study investigated the opportunities and barriers to participating in research for the current cohort of UK Palliative Medicine Specialist Trainees (PMSTs), to better understand the opportunities to improve evidence-based practice within the specialty.

METHODS

Two surveys, one for PMSTs and a second for training programme directors (TPDs), were developed. Surveys were piloted and then reviewed by the UK Palliative trainee Research Collaborative and the Palliative Medicine Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC) before distribution. All current PMSTs and TPDs representing all of the UK training regions (n=13) were invited to complete the appropriate survey.

RESULTS

Overall, 85% (11/13) and 45% (102/225) of TPDs and PMSTs responded, respectively. Almost all (92%) PMSTs reported that they were either 'very interested' or 'quite interested' in taking part in clinical research. PMSTs generally felt that educationaland clinical supervisors were supportive of them taking part in research; however, few (35%) believed they had access to personnel with adequate research experience to provide practical support. Opportunity for appropriate research supervision varied considerably by training region. Where research was being conducted, it was often conducted in trainees' personal time due to the wide regional variation in dedicated research time.

CONCLUSION

Despite significant interest in clinical research and support by TPDs and clinical supervisors, access to experienced researchers and equitable protected research time by region needs urgent attention to enhance progress in evidence-based palliative medicine.

What is the evidence that people with frailty have needs for palliative care at the end of life? A systematic review and narrative synthesis

BACKGROUND

The number of older people living and dying with frailty is rising, but our understanding of their end-of-life care needs is limited.

AIM

To synthesise evidence on the end-of-life care needs of people with frailty.

DESIGN

Systematic review of literature and narrative synthesis. Protocol registered prospectively with PROSPERO (CRD42016049506).

DATA SOURCES

Fourteen electronic databases (CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, EThOS, Google, Medline, NDLTD, NHS Evidence, NICE, Open grey, Psychinfo, SCIE, SCOPUS and Web of Science) searched from inception to October 2017 and supplemented with bibliographic screening and reference chaining. Studies were included if they used an explicit definition or measure of frailty. Quality was assessed using the National Institute for Health tool for observational studies.

RESULTS

A total of 4,998 articles were retrieved. Twenty met the inclusion criteria, providing evidence from 92,448 individuals (18,698 with frailty) across seven countries. Thirteen different measures or definitions of frailty were used. People with frailty experience pain and emotional distress at levels similar to people with cancer and also report a range of physical and psychosocial needs, including weakness and anxiety. Functional support needs were high and were highest where people with frailty were cognitively impaired. Individuals with frailty often expressed a preference for reduced intervention, but these preferences were not always observed at critical phases of care.

CONCLUSION

People with frailty have varied physical and psychosocial needs at the end of life that may benefit from palliative care. Frailty services should be tailored to patient and family needs and preferences at the end of life.

Enabling At-Homeness for Older People With Life-Limiting Conditions: A Participant Observation Study From Nursing Homes

At-homeness, as an aspect of well-being, can be experienced despite living with life-limiting conditions and needs for a palliative approach to care. In nursing homes, older residents with life-limiting conditions face losses and changes which could influence their experience of at-homeness. The aim of this study was to explore how nursing staff enable at-homeness for residents with life-limiting conditions. Interpretive description was employed as the design using data from participant observations and formal and informal interviews related to nursing care situations. The strategies found to be used to enable at-homeness comprising nursing staff presenting themselves as reliable, respecting the resident's integrity, being responsive to the resident's needs, collaborating with the resident in decision-making, and through nurturing comforting relationships. The result on how to enable at-homeness could be used as strategies for a person-centered palliative approach in the care for residents in nursing homes.

Exploring the quality of Life at the end of Life (Qual-E) Instrument with Australian Palliative Care Hospital Patients: Hurdles and Directions

The provision of care that enhances the quality of life at the end of life is a fundamental goal of palliative care services. This pilot study explored the application of the Quality of Life at the End of Life (QUAL-E) instrument in a sample of 52 patients who were hospitalized in two metropolitan Western Australian hospitals. Participants were given the option to complete the QUAL-E either as a self-report (n=9, 17.3 percent) or, aided by a research assistant, as a structured interview (n=43, 82.7 percent). The instrument demonstrated patient acceptability and face validity, particularly when it was administered with the assistance of a research assistant. Despite having difficulty with some questions, patients expressed their appreciation at being given the opportunity to contribute to the research and to reflect upon and give voice to their thoughts and feelings. Health practitioners indicated that the instrument could be a valuable tool for holistic assessment and service evaluation. We suggest that minor changes be made to the QUAL-E before it is used further in an Australian context; we also recommend that this instrument be tested in other settings and populations.

Findings From a Thematic Synthesis of Key Messages From a Palliative Care Research Network: The KINDLE Project

BACKGROUND

Effective palliative care requires a strong evidence base to advance clinical practice and policy-making. Calls for more collaborative and strategic approaches to research have resulted in the development of research networks at national and wider regional levels.

AIM

The aim was to synthesize the learning arising from the activities of the Palliative Care Research Network from the island of Ireland, in order to identify the overarching messages from these activities. The ultimate aim is to promote the communication of these messages to practice.

DESIGN

The study developed a systematic search process influenced by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines, with analysis of data adopting a qualitative critical interpretative synthesis approach using thematic synthesis.

PARTICIPANTS

In total, 142 dissemination products were sourced from 22 associated projects, including peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, reports, and web/social media posts.

RESULTS

The synthesis of dissemination products identified 4 key themes relating to palliative care research and practice: (1) addressing the needs of patients while recognizing the caregiver role, (2) equal access to connected services, (3) general and specific needs in palliative care research, and (4) challenges in palliative care research.

CONCLUSIONS

The key themes identified relate to challenges in both practice and research, highlighting the complexity of palliative care provision that aims to support both patients and carers, and research in this area. However, an important implication is the need for a broader approach to dissemination (beyond traditional academic activities) to ensure that research in palliative care is well placed to inform both practice and policy.

Better palliative care for people with a dementia: summary of interdisciplinary workshop highlighting current gaps and recommendations for future research

BACKGROUND

Dementia is the most common neurological disorder worldwide and is a life-limiting condition, but very often is not recognised as such. People with dementia, and their carers, have been shown to have palliative care needs equal in extent to those of cancer patients. However, many people with advanced dementia are not routinely being assessed to determine their palliative care needs, and it is not clear why this is so.

MAIN BODY

An interdisciplinary workshop on "Palliative Care in Neurodegeneration, with a focus on Dementia", was held in Cork, Ireland, in May 2016. The key aim of this workshop was to discuss the evidence base for palliative care for people with dementia, to identify 'gaps' for clinical research, and to make recommendations for interdisciplinary research practice. To lead the discussion throughout the day a multidisciplinary panel of expert speakers were brought together, including both researchers and clinicians from across Ireland and the UK. Targeted invitations were sent to attendees ensuring all key stakeholders were present to contribute to discussions. In total, 49 experts representing 17 different academic and practice settings, attended. Key topics for discussion were pre-selected based on previously identified research priorities (e.g. James Lind Alliance) and stakeholder input. Key discussion topics included: i. Advance Care Planning for people with Dementia; ii. Personhood in End-of-life Dementia care; iii. Topics in the care of advanced dementia at home. These topics were used as a starting point, and the ethos of the workshop was that the attendees could stimulate discussion and debate in any relevant area, not just the key topics, summarised under iv. Other priorities.

CONCLUSIONS

The care experienced by people with dementia and their families has the potential to be improved; palliative care frameworks may have much to offer in this endeavour. However, a solid evidence base is required to translate palliative care into practice in the context of dementia. This paper presents suggested research priorities as a starting point to build this evidence base. An interdisciplinary approach to research and priority setting is essential to develop actionable knowledge in this area.

Family Caregiver Participation in Palliative Care Research: Challenging the Myth

CONTEXT

Despite international guidelines emphasizing consumer-directed care and autonomous decisions in research participation, there is a common myth that research can be an additional and unwanted burden on patients and their family members.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the experiences and impact of research involvement on family caregivers (FCs) of terminally ill people, focusing within home-based palliative care.

METHODS

Three hundred sixteen of 322 participants (98.1%), who completed an FC support intervention through a stepped-wedge cluster trial (Australia, 2012-2015), participated in a postintervention telephone interview on their study experiences, which included quantitative and qualitative questions.

RESULTS

Ninety-seven percent of both the control (n = 89) and intervention (n = 227) groups perceived positive aspects, whereas almost all did not report any negative aspects of being involved in this research; the majority rated their involvement as very/extremely beneficial (control 77%; intervention 83%). The qualitative analysis generated three major themes: "intrapersonal-inward directed"; "connection with others-outward directed"; and "interpersonal-participant-researcher relationship."

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided quantitative and qualitative evidence challenging the myth. In contrast to health professional concerns, FCs appreciated the opportunity to participate and benefited from their involvement in research. Research protocols need to be specifically tailored to the needs of family caregivers and include debriefing opportunities for all participants at the end of intervention studies, regardless of which group they have been assigned. Strategies that facilitate health professionals' understanding of the research and risk benefits may help reduce gatekeeping and improve the validity of research findings.

WITHDRAWN: Interventions for fatigue and weight loss in adults with advanced progressive illness

BACKGROUND

Fatigue and unintentional weight loss are two of the commonest symptoms experienced by people with advanced progressive illness. Appropriate interventions may bring considerable improvements in function and quality of life to seriously ill people and their families, reducing physical, psychological and spiritual distress.

OBJECTIVES

To conduct an overview of the evidence available on the efficacy of interventions used in the management of fatigue and/or unintentional weight loss in adults with advanced progressive illness by reviewing the evidence contained within Cochrane reviews.

METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) for all systematic reviews evaluating any interventions for the management of fatigue and/or unintentional weight loss in adults with advanced progressive illness (The Cochrane Library 2010, Issue 8). We reviewed titles of interest by abstract. Where the relevance of a review remained unclear we reached a consensus regarding the relevance of the participant group and the outcome measures to the overview. Two overview authors extracted the data independently using a data extraction form. We used the measurement tool AMSTAR (Assessment of Multiple SysTemAtic Reviews) to assess the methodological quality of each systematic review.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 27 systematic reviews (302 studies with 31,833 participants) in the overview. None of the included systematic reviews reported quantitative data on the efficacy of interventions to manage fatigue or weight loss specific to people with advanced progressive illness. All of the included reviews apart from one were deemed of high methodological quality. For the remaining review we were unable to ascertain the methodological quality of the research strategy as it was described. None of the systematic reviews adequately described whether conflict of interests were present within the included studies. Management of fatigueAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease (ALS/MND) - we identified one systematic review (two studies and 52 participants); the intervention was exercise.Cancer - we identified five systematic reviews (116 studies with 17,342 participants); the pharmacological interventions were eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and any drug therapy for the management of cancer-related fatigue and the non pharmacological interventions were exercise, interventions by breast care nurses and psychosocial interventions.Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - we identified three systematic reviews (59 studies and 4048 participants); the interventions were self management education programmes, nutritional support and pulmonary rehabilitation.Cystic fibrosis - we identified one systematic review (nine studies and 833 participants); the intervention was physical training.Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) - we identified two systematic reviews (21 studies and 748 participants); the interventions were progressive resistive exercise and aerobic exercise.Multiple sclerosis (MS) - we identified five systematic reviews (23 studies and 1502 participants); the pharmacological interventions were amantadine and carnitine. The non pharmacological interventions were diet, exercise and occupational therapy.Mixed conditions in advanced stages of illness - we identified one systematic review (five studies and 453 participants); the intervention was medically assisted hydration. Management of weight lossALS/MND - we identified one systematic review but no studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review; the intervention was enteral tube feeding.Cancer - we identified three systematic reviews with a fourth systematic review also containing extractable data on cancer (66 studies and 5601 participants); the pharmacological interventions were megestrol acetate and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (this systematic review is also included in the cancer fatigue section above). The non pharmacological interventions were enteral tube feeding and non invasive interventions for patients with lung cancer.COPD - we identified one systematic review (59 studies and 4048 participants); the intervention was nutritional support. This systematic review is also included in the COPD fatigue section.Cystic fibrosis - we identified two systematic reviews (three studies and 131 participants); the interventions were enteral tube feeding and oral calorie supplements.HIV/AIDS - we identified four systematic reviews (42 studies and 2071 participants); the pharmacological intervention was anabolic steroids. The non pharmacological interventions were nutritional interventions, progressive resistive exercise and aerobic exercise. Both of the systematic reviews on exercise interventions were also included in the HIV/AIDS fatigue section.MS - we found no systematic reviews which considered interventions to manage unintentional weight loss for people with a clinical diagnosis of multiple sclerosis at any stage of illness.Mixed conditions in advanced stages of illness - we identified two systematic reviews (32 studies and 4826 participants); the interventions were megestrol acetate and medically assisted nutrition.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There is a lack of robust evidence for interventions to manage fatigue and/or unintentional weight loss in the advanced stage of progressive illnesses such as advanced cancer, heart failure, lung failure, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, motor neuron disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia and AIDS. The evidence contained within this overview provides some insight into interventions which may prove of benefit within this population such as exercise, some pharmacological treatments and support for self management.Researchers could improve the methodological quality of future studies by blinding of outcome assessors. Adopting uniform reporting mechanisms for fatigue and weight loss outcome measures would also allow the opportunity for meta-analysis of small studies.Researchers could also improve the applicability of recommendations for interventions to manage fatigue and unintentional weight loss in advanced progressive illness by including subgroup analysis of this population within systematic reviews of applicable interventions.More research is required to ascertain the best interventions to manage fatigue and/or weight loss in advanced illness. There is a need for standardised reporting of these symptoms and agreement amongst researchers of the minimum duration of studies and minimum percentage change in symptom experience that proves the benefits of an intervention. There are, however, challenges in providing meaningful outcome measurements against a background of deteriorating health through disease progression. Interventions to manage these symptoms must also be mindful of the impact on quality of life and should be focused on patient-orientated rather than purely disease-orientated experiences for patients. Systematic reviews and primary intervention studies should include the impact of the interventions on standardised validated quality of life measures.

Protocol for a thematic synthesis to identify key themes and messages from a palliative care research network

Background

Research networks that facilitate collaborative research are increasing both regionally and globally and such collaborations contribute greatly to knowledge transfer particularly in health research. The Palliative Care Research Network is an Irish-based network that seeks to create opportunities and engender a collaborative environment to encourage innovative research that is relevant for policy and practice. The current review outlines a methodology to identify cross-cutting messages to identify how dissemination outputs can be optimized to ensure that key messages from this research reaches all knowledge users.

Methods/design

Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocol guidelines will inform the search and analysis plan to ensure that the synthesis of the data is as rigorous as possible. An approach based on critical interpretative synthesis will be adapted to include a thematic synthesis for the identification of higher-order themes and messages from a body of dissemination products generated by the Palliative Care Research Network.

Discussion

The thematic synthesis outlined in the present protocol offers a novel method of synthesising data from a focused research network that employs a variety of dissemination materials as a means of identifying key themes and messages from a specific body of research. The high-level themes and messages will be identified from the thematic synthesis, widely disseminated and targeted towards a range of stakeholders and knowledge users such as carers, health and social care professionals, policy makers and researchers.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-016-2282-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Palliative care at the end-of-life in glioma patients

The end-of-life (EOL) phase of patients with a glioma starts when symptom prevalence increases and antitumor treatment is no longer effective. During the EOL phase, care is primarily aimed at reducing symptom burden while maintaining quality of life as long as possible without inappropriate prolongation of life. Palliative care during the EOL phase also involves complex medical decisions for the prevention and relief of suffering. We discuss the prevalence and treatment of the most common EOL symptoms, decision making in the EOL phase, the organization of EOL care, and the role of the patient's caregiver. Treating disease-specific symptoms, such as impaired consciousness, seizures, focal neurologic deficits and cognitive disturbances, is a major concern during the EOL phase, as these symptoms may interfere with EOL decision making. Advance care planning is aimed at reaching consensus about possible EOL decisions between all participants, respecting the values of patients and their informal caregivers. In order to prevent the possibility that the patient becomes incompetent to make informed decisions, we recommend initiating EOL conversations at a relatively early stage in the disease course.

An examination of the research priorities for a hospice service in New Zealand: A Delphi study

Objectives:

Palliative care research is relatively diverse and prioritizing research in this field is dependent on multiple factors such as complex ethical decisions in designing and conducting the research; access to participants who may be deemed “vulnerable” and an increasingly medically focused approach to care. The aim of this study was to inform organizational decision-making and policy development regarding future research priorities for a hospice service in New Zealand.

Methods:

A modified three-round Delphi technique was employed. Participants were drawn from one dedicated specialist palliative care service that delivers care in the community, day-care, hospice inpatient, aged residential care, and acute hospital palliative care service. A purposive sample included palliative care staff (n = 10, 18, 9, for rounds 1–3, respectively) volunteers (n = 10, 12, 11); and patients and family carers (n = 6, 8, for rounds 1 and 2). Patients and family carers were not involved in the third round.

Results:

At final ranking of six research themes encompassing 23 research topics were identified by staff and volunteers. These were: symptom management; aged care; education; community; patient and family; and bereavement support and young people. Patients and family carers agreed on four themes, made up of 10 research topics. These were: decision-making, bereavement and loss, symptom management; and recognition of need and response of service.

Significance of results:

The study generated a rich set of research themes and specific research topics. The perspectives of staff and volunteers are significantly different from those of patients and family members, in spite of the recognition by all concerned that palliative care services work within a philosophy of patient-centered care. Open discussion of ideas has the potential to engage both staff and patients and carers in quality improvement initiatives, and to reinforce the value of research for patient care.

Improving the evidence base in palliative care to inform practice and policy: thinking outside the box

The adoption of evidence-based hierarchies and research methods from other disciplines may not completely translate to complex palliative care settings. The heterogeneity of the palliative care population, complexity of clinical presentations, and fluctuating health states present significant research challenges. The aim of this narrative review was to explore the debate about the use of current evidence-based approaches for conducting research, such as randomized controlled trials and other study designs, in palliative care, and more specifically to (1) describe key myths about palliative care research; (2) highlight substantive challenges of conducting palliative care research, using case illustrations; and (3) propose specific strategies to address some of these challenges. Myths about research in palliative care revolve around evidence hierarchies, sample heterogeneity, random assignment, participant burden, and measurement issues. Challenges arise because of the complex physical, psychological, existential, and spiritual problems faced by patients, families, and service providers. These challenges can be organized according to six general domains: patient, system/organization, context/setting, study design, research team, and ethics. A number of approaches for dealing with challenges in conducting research fall into five separate domains: study design, sampling, conceptual, statistical, and measures and outcomes. Although randomized controlled trials have their place whenever possible, alternative designs may offer more feasible research protocols that can be successfully implemented in palliative care. Therefore, this article highlights "outside the box" approaches that would benefit both clinicians and researchers in the palliative care field. Ultimately, the selection of research designs is dependent on a clearly articulated research question, which drives the research process.

Epilepsy in the end of life phase of brain tumor patients: a systematic review

Epileptic seizures are common in patients with primary or secondary malignant brain tumor. However, current knowledge on the occurrence of seizures during the end of life (EOL) phase of brain tumor patients is limited. Because symptom management with preservation of quality of life is of major importance for patients with a malignant brain tumor, particularly in the EOL, it is necessary to gain a deeper understanding of seizures and their management during this phase. We performed a systematic review of literature related to epilepsy in the EOL phase of brain tumor patients, based on the electronic resources PubMed, Embase, and Cinahl. The search yielded 442 unique records, of which 11 articles were eligible for further analysis after applying predefined inclusion criteria. Seizures occur relatively frequently in the EOL phase, particularly in patients with high-grade glioma. However, seizure management is often hampered by swallowing difficulties and impaired consciousness. Treatment decisions are largely dependent on expert opinion because a standardized approach for treating seizures in the terminal stage of brain tumor patients is still lacking.

'Best practice' in developing and evaluating palliative and end-of-life care services: a meta-synthesis of research methods for the MORECare project

BACKGROUND

Improved and cost-effective palliative and end-of-life care is an international policy imperative. Developments are impeded by a weak and often inconsistent evidence base.

AIM

To examine the main methodological challenges and limitations to developing and evaluating palliative and end-of-life care services and requirements to further this field of research.

DESIGN

A meta-synthesis to systematically appraise the evidence from systematic reviews on the research methods used in studies evaluating the effectiveness of palliative care services for patients with advanced illness and/or carers meeting inclusion and quality criteria. We extracted data from the reviews on the methodological issues reported on the included studies into Excel spreadsheets and generated textual descriptions coded and analysed in NVivo.

DATA SOURCES

Six electronic databases, reference chaining and expert advice.

RESULTS

In total, 27 systematic reviews were included on the effectiveness of palliative care services for patients with cancer (n = 6), advanced illness (n = 10) or mixed populations (n = 11) across care settings. Main methodological challenges were implementation as a continuum, active precise recruitment, addressing randomisation and economic evaluation beyond cost savings.

CONCLUSIONS

The complexity of delivering and evaluating palliative and end-of-life care services requires the accumulation of knowledge from multiple sources to understand the active components of an intervention to deliver patient benefit and examine the evaluation methods to detect change and reveal processes prior to a definitive trial. The implementation of evidence into practice should form a continuum throughout the evaluation stages to reveal understanding on the process of intervention delivery, the context and the intended outcome(s).

Transitions to palliative care for older people in acute hospitals: a mixed-methods study

Background

Improving the provision of palliative and end-of-life care is a priority for the NHS. Ensuring an appropriately managed ‘transition’ to a palliative approach for care when patients are likely to be entering the last year of life is central to current policy. Acute hospitals represent a significant site of palliative care delivery and specific guidance has been published regarding the management of palliative care transitions within this setting.

Aims

(1) to explore how transitions to a palliative care approach are managed and experienced in acute hospitals and to identify best practice from the perspective of clinicians and service users; (2) to examine the extent of potentially avoidable hospital admissions amongst hospital inpatients with palliative care needs.

Design

A mixed-methods design was adopted in two hospitals in England, serving diverse patient populations. Methods included (1) two systematic reviews; (2) focus groups and interviews with 58 health-care professionals to explore barriers to, and facilitators of, palliative care transitions in hospital; (3) a hospital inpatient survey examining palliative care needs and aspects of management including a self-/proxy-completed questionnaire, a survey of medical and nursing staff and a case note review; (4) in-depth interviews with 15 patients with palliative care needs; (5) a retrospective case note review of all inpatients present in the hospital at the time of the survey who had died within the subsequent 12 months; and (6) focus groups with 83 key decision-makers to explore the implications of the findings for service delivery and policy.

Results

Of the 514 patients in the inpatient survey sample, just over one-third (n = 185, 36.0%) met one or more of the Gold Standards Framework (GSF) prognostic indicator criteria for palliative care needs. The most common GSF prognostic indicator was frailty, with almost one-third of patients (27%) meeting this criteria. Agreement between medical and nursing staff and the GSF with respect to identifying patients with palliative care needs was poor. In focus groups, health professionals reported difficulties in recognising that a patient had entered the last 12 months of life. In-depth interviews with patients found that many of those interviewed were unaware of their prognosis and showed little insight into what they could expect from the trajectory of their disease. The retrospective case note review found that 35 (7.2%) admissions were potentially avoidable. The potential annual cost saving across both hospitals of preventing these admissions was approximately £5.3M. However, a 2- or 3-day reduction in length of stay for these admissions would result in an annual cost saving of £21.6M or £32.4M respectively.

Conclusions

Patients with palliative care needs represent a significant proportion of the hospital inpatient population. There is a significant gap between NHS policy regarding palliative and end-of-life care management in acute hospitals in England and current practice.

Funding

The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.

Palliative care for people with heart failure: summary of current evidence and future direction

BACKGROUND

Heart failure is a common condition with a significant physical and psychological burden for patients and their families. The need for supportive and palliative care: It is well recognised that palliative care is important in patients with advanced heart failure.

WHAT IS KNOWN

Heart failure patients have limited access to palliative care services. Barriers to palliative care include difficult prognostication due to the unpredictable disease trajectory and inadequate initiation of conversations about end-of-life care. WHAT IS NOT KNOWN: There are gaps in the evidence for symptom control, especially for symptoms other than pain or dyspnoea, but recommendations are becoming increasingly evidence based. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH, POLICY AND PRACTICE: There are challenges to research in this area although progress is being made with increasing numbers of trials and use of novel research methods. Integrated models of care based on symptom triggers rather than prognosis are recommended. At the centre is excellent communication both with the patient and between services to ensure the best possible care.

Palliative care research on the island of Ireland over the last decade: a systematic review and thematic analysis of peer reviewed publications

Background

As palliative care research continues to expand across Europe, and the world, questions exist about the nature and type of research undertaken in addition to the research priorities for the future. This systematic review, which is the first stage of a larger scale study to identify the research priorities for palliative care on the island of Ireland, examined palliative care research conducted on the island over the last decade.

Methods

A comprehensive search strategy was implemented and strict eligibility criteria were applied in order to identify relevant peer-reviewed journal articles. Inclusion criteria were all of the palliative care studies undertaken on the island of Ireland and published between January 2002 and May 2012. These were assessed in relation to year, setting, sample size, research methodology, and relevant findings.

Results

412 publications were identified for screening and their abstracts obtained. After eliminating articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria, 151 remained for further analysis. A thematic analysis of 128 studies published between 2006 and 2012 revealed eight core themes: (1) specific groups/populations; (2) services and settings; (3) management of symptoms (physical, psychological, social); (4) bereavement; (5) communication and education; (6) death and dying; (7) spirituality; and (8) complementary and alternative medicine/intervention (CAM). There was an upward trend in the number of publications in palliative care research over the last ten years with over 72% of studies being published within the previous four years. A slightly higher number of studies were quantitative in nature (surveys, questionnaires, standardised assessments) followed by qualitative (individual and focus group interviews, case studies, documentary analysis and retrospective case note reviews), mixed methods, and systematic reviews.

Conclusions

Whilst there has been a welcome growth in palliative care research across Ireland, this has largely been needs-based and small scale studies. In contrast, international researchers and decision makers recommend the need for more outcomes focused multidisciplinary research. An examination of palliative care research is an essential first step in seeking to develop future priority areas for further research, highlighting opportunities for future collaboration both nationally and internationally.

Clinical effectiveness of online training in palliative care of primary care physicians

BACKGROUND

Primary care physicians (PCPs) have a major responsibility in the management of palliative patients. Online palliative care (PC) education has not been shown to have a clinical impact on patients that is equal or different to traditional training.

OBJECTIVE

This study tested the clinical effectiveness of online PC education of physicians through impact on symptom control, quality of life (QOL), caregiver satisfaction, and knowledge-attitude of physicians at 18 months of the intervention.

METHODS

We conducted a randomized clinical trial. Subjects were 169 physicians randomly assigned to receive the online model or traditional training. Consecutive patients with advanced cancer requiring PC were included. Physicians and patients completed the Palliative Care Outcome Scale (POS), and patients the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist (RSCL) twice, 7 to 10 days apart. Caregivers completed the SERVQUAL. Physicians' level of knowledge-attitude was measured at 18 months.

RESULTS

Sixty-seven physicians enrolled 117 patients. The intervention group had reduced scores for pain, symptoms, and family anxiety. The global RSCL scale showed a difference between groups. There was no significant difference in the questionnaires used. Caregiver satisfaction was comparable between groups. Physicians in the intervention group significantly increased their knowledge without any differences in attitude. Online training was completed by 86.6% in the intervention group, whereas 13.4% in the control group accessed traditional training.

CONCLUSIONS

Participation in an online PC education program by PCPs improved patient scores for some symptoms and family anxiety on the POS and also showed improved global QOL. Significant differences were found in physicians' knowledge at short and long term.

A comparison of strategies to recruit older patients and carers to end-of-life research in primary care

BACKGROUND

Older adults receive most of their end-of-life care in the community, but there are few published data to guide researchers on recruitment to studies in primary care. The aim of this study was to compare recruitment of patients and bereaved carers from general practices in areas with different research network support, and identify challenges in obtaining samples representative of those in need of end-of-life care.

METHODS

Comparative analysis of recruitment from general practices to two face-to-face interview studies concerned with 1) carers' perceptions of transitions between settings for decedents aged over 75 years and 2) the experiences of older patients living with cancer at the end-of-life.

RESULTS

33 (15% of invitees) patients and 118 (25%) carers were interviewed. Carers from disadvantaged areas were under-represented. Recruitment was higher when researchers, rather than research network staff, were in direct contact with general practices. Most practices recruited no more than one carer, despite a seven fold difference in the number of registered patients. The proportion identified as eligible for patient interviews varied by a factor of 38 between practices. Forty-four Primary Care Trusts granted approval to interview carers; two refused. One gave no reason; a second did not believe that general practitioners would be able to identify carers.

CONCLUSION

Obtaining a representative sample of patients or carers in end-of-life research is a resource intensive challenge. Review of the regulatory and organisational barriers to end-of-life researchers in primary care is required. Research support networks provide invaluable assistance, but researchers should ensure that they are alert to the ways in which they may influence study recruitment.

Factors supporting good partnership working between generalist and specialist palliative care services: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

The care that most people receive at the end of their lives is provided not by specialist palliative care professionals but by generalists such as GPs, district nurses and others who have not undertaken specialist training in palliative care. A key focus of recent UK policy is improving partnership working across the spectrum of palliative care provision. However there is little evidence to suggest factors which support collaborative working between specialist and generalist palliative care providers.

AIM

To explore factors that support partnership working between specialist and generalist palliative care providers.

DESIGN

Systematic review.

METHOD

A systematic review of studies relating to partnership working between specialist and generalist palliative care providers was undertaken. Six electronic databases were searched for papers published up until January 2011.

RESULTS

Of the 159 articles initially identified, 22 papers met the criteria for inclusion. Factors supporting good partnership working included: good communication between providers; clear definition of roles and responsibilities; opportunities for shared learning and education; appropriate and timely access to specialist palliative care services; and coordinated care.

CONCLUSION

Multiple examples exist of good partnership working between specialist and generalist providers; however, there is little consistency regarding how models of collaborative working are developed, and which models are most effective. Little is known about the direct impact of collaborative working on patient outcomes. Further research is required to gain the direct perspectives of health professionals and patients regarding collaborative working in palliative care, and to develop appropriate and cost-effective models for partnership working.

Culture and end of life care: a scoping exercise in seven European countries

AIM

Culture is becoming increasingly important in relation to end of life (EoL) care in a context of globalization, migration and European integration. We explore and compare socio-cultural issues that shape EoL care in seven European countries and critically appraise the existing research evidence on cultural issues in EoL care generated in the different countries.

METHODS

We scoped the literature for Germany, Norway, Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Portugal, carrying out electronic searches in 16 international and country-specific databases and handsearches in 17 journals, bibliographies of relevant papers and webpages. We analysed the literature which was unearthed, in its entirety and by type (reviews, original studies, opinion pieces) and conducted quantitative analyses for each country and across countries. Qualitative techniques generated themes and sub-themes.

RESULTS

A total of 868 papers were reviewed. The following themes facilitated cross-country comparison: setting, caregivers, communication, medical EoL decisions, minority ethnic groups, and knowledge, attitudes and values of death and care. The frequencies of themes varied considerably between countries. Sub-themes reflected issues characteristic for specific countries (e.g. culture-specific disclosure in the southern European countries). The work from the seven European countries concentrates on cultural traditions and identities, and there was almost no evidence on ethnic minorities.

CONCLUSION

This scoping review is the first comparative exploration of the cultural differences in the understanding of EoL care in these countries. The diverse body of evidence that was identified on socio-cultural issues in EoL care, reflects clearly distinguishable national cultures of EoL care, with differences in meaning, priorities, and expertise in each country. The diverse ways that EoL care is understood and practised forms a necessary part of what constitutes best evidence for the improvement of EoL care in the future.

Prospective comparison of prognostic scores in palliative care cancer populations

PURPOSE

Predicting prognosis in advanced cancer aids physicians in clinical decision making and can help patients and their families to prepare for the time ahead.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This multicenter, observational, prospective, nonrandomized population-based study evaluated life span prediction of four prognostic scores used in palliative care: the original palliative prognostic score (PaP Score), a variant of PaP Score including delirium (D-PaP Score), the Palliative Performance Scale, and the Palliative Prognostic Index.

RESULTS

A total of 549 patients were enrolled onto the study. Median survival of the entire group was 22 days (95% confidence intervals [95% CI] = 19-24). All four prognostic models discriminated well between groups of patients with different survival probabilities. Log-rank tests were all highly significant (p < .0001). The PaP and D-PaP scores were the most accurate, with a C index of 0.72 (95% CI = 0.70-0.73) and 0.73 (95% CI = 0.71-0.74), respectively.

CONCLUSION

It can be confirmed that all four prognostic scores used in palliative care studies accurately identify classes of patients with different survival probabilities. The PaP Score has been extensively validated and shows high accuracy and reproducibility in different settings.

Interventions for fatigue and weight loss in adults with advanced progressive illness

BACKGROUND

Fatigue and unintentional weight loss are two of the commonest symptoms experienced by people with advanced progressive illness. Appropriate interventions may bring considerable improvements in function and quality of life to seriously ill people and their families, reducing physical, psychological and spiritual distress.

OBJECTIVES

To conduct an overview of the evidence available on the efficacy of interventions used in the management of fatigue and/or unintentional weight loss in adults with advanced progressive illness by reviewing the evidence contained within Cochrane reviews.

METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) for all systematic reviews evaluating any interventions for the management of fatigue and/or unintentional weight loss in adults with advanced progressive illness (The Cochrane Library 2010, Issue 8). We reviewed titles of interest by abstract. Where the relevance of a review remained unclear we reached a consensus regarding the relevance of the participant group and the outcome measures to the overview. Two overview authors extracted the data independently using a data extraction form. We used the measurement tool AMSTAR (Assessment of Multiple SysTemAtic Reviews) to assess the methodological quality of each systematic review.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 27 systematic reviews (302 studies with 31,833 participants) in the overview. None of the included systematic reviews reported quantitative data on the efficacy of interventions to manage fatigue or weight loss specific to people with advanced progressive illness. All of the included reviews apart from one were deemed of high methodological quality. For the remaining review we were unable to ascertain the methodological quality of the research strategy as it was described. None of the systematic reviews adequately described whether conflict of interests were present within the included studies.Management of fatigue Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease (ALS/MND) - we identified one systematic review (two studies and 52 participants); the intervention was exercise.Cancer - we identified five systematic reviews (116 studies with 17,342 participants); the pharmacological interventions were eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and any drug therapy for the management of cancer-related fatigue and the non pharmacological interventions were exercise, interventions by breast care nurses and psychosocial interventions.Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - we identified three systematic reviews (59 studies and 4048 participants); the interventions were self management education programmes, nutritional support and pulmonary rehabilitation.Cystic fibrosis - we identified one systematic review (nine studies and 833 participants); the intervention was physical training.Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) - we identified two systematic reviews (21 studies and 748 participants); the interventions were progressive resistive exercise and aerobic exercise.Multiple sclerosis (MS) - we identified five systematic reviews (23 studies and 1502 participants); the pharmacological interventions were amantadine and carnitine. The non pharmacological interventions were diet, exercise and occupational therapy.Mixed conditions in advanced stages of illness - we identified one systematic review (five studies and 453 participants); the intervention was medically assisted hydration.Management of weight loss ALS/MND - we identified one systematic review but no studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review; the intervention was enteral tube feeding.Cancer - we identified three systematic reviews with a fourth systematic review also containing extractable data on cancer (66 studies and 5601 participants); the pharmacological interventions were megestrol acetate and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (this systematic review is also included in the cancer fatigue section above). The non pharmacological interventions were enteral tube feeding and non invasive interventions for patients with lung cancer.COPD - we identified one systematic review (59 studies and 4048 participants); the intervention was nutritional support. This systematic review is also included in the COPD fatigue section.Cystic fibrosis - we identified two systematic reviews (three studies and 131 participants); the interventions were enteral tube feeding and oral calorie supplements.HIV/AIDS - we identified four systematic reviews (42 studies and 2071 participants); the pharmacological intervention was anabolic steroids. The non pharmacological interventions were nutritional interventions, progressive resistive exercise and aerobic exercise. Both of the systematic reviews on exercise interventions were also included in the HIV/AIDS fatigue section.MS - we found no systematic reviews which considered interventions to manage unintentional weight loss for people with a clinical diagnosis of multiple sclerosis at any stage of illness.Mixed conditions in advanced stages of illness - we identified two systematic reviews (32 studies and 4826 participants); the interventions were megestrol acetate and medically assisted nutrition.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There is a lack of robust evidence for interventions to manage fatigue and/or unintentional weight loss in the advanced stage of progressive illnesses such as advanced cancer, heart failure, lung failure, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, motor neuron disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia and AIDS. The evidence contained within this overview provides some insight into interventions which may prove of benefit within this population such as exercise, some pharmacological treatments and support for self management.Researchers could improve the methodological quality of future studies by blinding of outcome assessors. Adopting uniform reporting mechanisms for fatigue and weight loss outcome measures would also allow the opportunity for meta-analysis of small studies.Researchers could also improve the applicability of recommendations for interventions to manage fatigue and unintentional weight loss in advanced progressive illness by including subgroup analysis of this population within systematic reviews of applicable interventions.More research is required to ascertain the best interventions to manage fatigue and/or weight loss in advanced illness. There is a need for standardised reporting of these symptoms and agreement amongst researchers of the minimum duration of studies and minimum percentage change in symptom experience that proves the benefits of an intervention. There are, however, challenges in providing meaningful outcome measurements against a background of deteriorating health through disease progression. Interventions to manage these symptoms must also be mindful of the impact on quality of life and should be focused on patient-orientated rather than purely disease-orientated experiences for patients. Systematic reviews and primary intervention studies should include the impact of the interventions on standardised validated quality of life measures.

Selected aspects of palliative care and quality of life at the terminal stage of neoplastic disease

Neoplastic diseases are among the most common causes of death. The quality of life in neoplastic disease depends on the type of neoplasm, level of progression, location, treatment possibilities and prognosis. Cancer reduces the quality of life at the advanced stage of disease. At this time patients feel pain and suffering. Palliative care is used in the terminal phase of neoplastic disease. It includes overall care of an incurable patient and her/his family. The main objective of palliative care is meeting somatic and psycho-social requirements. Recently, more and more physicians dealing with oncological patients are moving away from treatment of the patient like an object. They pay attention to a subjective approach to treatment outcomes that are felt by the patient. The model of medicine is becoming a holistic one and during examination physicians pay attention to the patient's physical and mental state, economic condition, social situation, feelings or lack of complaints more often. Research on quality of life is becoming a vital part of medical examination.

Survival prediction for terminally ill cancer patients: revision of the palliative prognostic score with incorporation of delirium

PURPOSE

An existing and validated palliative prognostic (PaP) score predicts survival in terminally ill cancer patients based on dyspnea, anorexia, Karnofsky performance status score, clinical prediction of survival, total WBC, and lymphocyte percentage. The PaP score assigns patients to three different risk groups according to a 30-day survival probability--group A, >70%; group B, 30%-70%; group C, <30%. The impact of delirium is known but was not incorporated into the PaP score.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Our aim was to incorporate information on delirium into the PaP score based on a retrospective series of 361 terminally ill cancer patients. We followed the approach of "validation by calibration," proposed by van Houwelingen and later adapted by Miceli for achieving score revision with inclusion of a new variable. The discriminating performance of the scores was estimated using the K statistic.

RESULTS

The prognostic contribution of delirium was confirmed as statistically significant (p < .001) and the variable was accordingly incorporated into the PaP score (D-PaP score). Following this revision, 30-day survival estimates in groups A, B, and C were 83%, 50%, and 9% for the D-PaP score and 87%, 51%, and 16% for the PaP score, respectively. The overall performance of the D-PaP score was better than that of the PaP score.

CONCLUSION

The revision of the PaP score was carried out by modifying the cutoff values used for prognostic grouping without, however, affecting the partial scores of the original tool. The performance of the D-PaP score was better than that of the PaP score and its key feature of simplicity was maintained.

Palliative and end-of-life care in psychogeriatric patients

A rapidly growing number of elderly persons and their families are burdened by one or more terminal illnesses in the later years of their life. How best to support their quality of life is a major challenge for healthcare teams. Palliative and end-of-life (PEOL) care is well positioned to respond to this challenge. While the evidence of PEOL is just beginning, much of the suffering can be relieved by what is already known. PEOL care for the elderly needs to go beyond the focus on the patient and should rest on a broad understanding of the nature of suffering that includes family and professional caregivers in that experience of suffering. The dissemination of PEOL care principles should be a public health priority. This article aims to improve understanding of appropriate PEOL care in the elderly and discuss future perspectives.

The mourning before: can anticipatory grief theory inform family care in adult intensive care?

Although anticipatory grief is a much-debated and critiqued bereavement concept, it does offer a way of understanding and exploring expected loss that may be helpful in certain situations. In end-of-life care in adult intensive care units, families often act as proxy decision makers for patients in the transition from curative treatment efforts to planned treatment withdrawal. Despite there being a developed evidence base to inform care of families at this time, few of the clinical studies that provided this evidence were underpinned by bereavement theory. Focusing on end-of-life intensive care practices, this paper integrates work on anticipatory grief and family interventions to present a family-centred framework of care. Through this it is argued that the complex needs of families must be more comprehensively understood by doctors and nurses and that interventions must be more systematically planned to improve quality end-of-life care for families in this setting.

"Card sorting": a tool for research in ethics on treatment decision-making at the end of life in Alzheimer patients with a life threatening complication

Background

End stage dementia is a particularly difficult aspect of care for patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. In care institutions, caregivers and family are concerned by treatment decision-making for an acute life threatening complication occurring in Alzheimer patients at the end of life. How should the best treatment pathway be decided: to treat or not to treat? Which arguments are used for decision-making? These are mainly ethical questions which are currently difficult to express and investigate.

Methods/Design

Cross sectional multicentre study of clinical cases involving 67 health centres (university hospitals, general hospitals, local hospitals and homes for the elderly) in the east of France. The method was based on the "card sorting" technique, with a set of 36 cards, each labelled with a different item relating to arguments for treatment decision-making. For each clinical case, medical staff and carers expressed in a meeting the pieces of information which they believed had been taken into account in the decision. Each participant received a card game, selected fewer than ten and ranked them according to the importance they attached to each one. All selected cards were then put on the table anonymously for participants, respecting the order of importance of the cards in each pile. Lastly, all games were photographed together in order to analyse occurrence and order frequencies. The cards were then classified on the table by frequency to open the discussion. Discussion time, which was conducted by the head carer of the department, concerned the clinical situation of the patient based on the shared responses.

Discussion

During team meetings, the "card sorting" method was quickly adopted by professionals as a tool to assist with discussion beyond the context of the study. The participants were not compelled to mention their feelings in relation to a case, and it is significant that the anonymity which we tried to maintain so that each person felt "listened to" without value judgement was very often discarded by the individuals themselves.

Barriers to providing palliative care for older people in acute hospitals

BACKGROUND

the need for access to high-quality palliative care at the end of life is becoming of increasing public health concern. The majority of deaths in the UK occur in acute hospitals, and older people are particularly likely to die in this setting. However, little is known about the barriers to palliative care provision for older people within acute hospitals.

OBJECTIVE

to explore the perspectives of health professionals regarding barriers to optimal palliative care for older people in acute hospitals.

METHODS

fifty-eight health professionals participated in eight focus groups and four semi-structured interviews.

RESULTS

participants identified various barriers to palliative care provision for older people, including attitudinal differences to the care of older people, a focus on curative treatments within hospitals and a lack of resources. Participants also reported differing understandings of whose responsibility it was to provide palliative care for older people, and uncertainly over the roles of specialist and generalist palliative care providers in acute hospitals.

CONCLUSIONS

numerous barriers exist to the provision of high-quality palliative care for older people within acute hospital settings. Additional research is now required to further explore age-related issues contributing to poor access to palliative care.