Palliative care in Irish nursing homes: the work of community clinical nurse specialists

A comparison of the nurse work environment between perinatal and non-perinatal hospice providers

BACKGROUND

Hospice nurses have a unique role in providing perinatal care, yet little is known about the work environment in which nurses provide care for families and infants at the end of life.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the nurse work environment between perinatal and non-perinatal hospices.

METHODS

Data from the 2007 US National Home and Hospice Care Survey was used. The sample included 526 US hospice agencies. Comparisons were calculated using the Pearson chi-square and Wald tests.

RESULTS

A majority of hospices provided perinatal care (60%). Compared with non-perinatal hospices, the perinatal nurse work environment had a significantly higher proportion of registered nurses (mean 0.87 vs mean 0.79), along with clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners to support them (95.6% vs 84.9%). Nurses within perinatal care providers worked in a climate of significantly greater safety (95.6% vs 84.9%) and technology (63.7% vs 47.1%).

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding the unique perinatal hospice nurse work environment may be essential for advancing knowledge and compassion for mothers and babies at the end of life.

Organizational Interventions concerning Palliation in Community Palliative Care Services: A Literature Study

Background. Studies indicate problems between different professional groups working with palliative care and the organisation of palliative home care at nursing homes. The purpose of this study is to examine international experiences and cooperative development initiatives regarding the organisation of community palliative care services. Method. The study has been carried out as a literature study based on bibliographic searches in international databases with selected key words. Results and Conclusion. The study of the literature identified 19 studies described in 20 articles that relate to development efforts and interventions regarding the organisation of palliative care in communities. Nearly, all of the studies were based on health care professionals' assessments of users (the relatives). However, it is unknown whether or how patients and relatives experience a positive effect of the interventions. The literature study shows that it is a great methodological challenge to complete and evaluate studies concerning organisation and cooperation using methods that make the results useful for others.