Palliative care in emergency departments: an impossible

Eur J Emerg Med · Dec 2012

Palliative care in emergency departments: an impossible challenge?

The aim of this study was to investigate the care practices surrounding end-of-life patients and the scope for providing palliative care in two emergency department short-stay units. Two qualitative methods of investigation were used: direct ethnographic-type observation and semi-directed group interviews. The results highlight the fact that end-of-life situations inflect the practices of care and give rise to adjustments in the organization of work. ⋯ We propose a typology of end-of-life patients. In conclusion, the practices, termed 'palliative care' by the caregivers, are addressed to terminally ill patients expected to die shortly. This issue should be debated within emergency departments.

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- Marie-France Couilliot, Danièle Leboul, and Florence Douguet.
- Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Social Issues (IRIS), University Hospitals Paris-Seine-Saint-Denis, 74 rue Marcel Cachin, Bobigny Cedex, France. marie-france.couilliot@rmb.aphp.fr
- Eur J Emerg Med. 2012 Dec 1;19(6):405-7.
AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the care practices surrounding end-of-life patients and the scope for providing palliative care in two emergency department short-stay units. Two qualitative methods of investigation were used: direct ethnographic-type observation and semi-directed group interviews. The results highlight the fact that end-of-life situations inflect the practices of care and give rise to adjustments in the organization of work. These practices operate in two registers: that of supporting the family and that of attention to the patient's comfort. We propose a typology of end-of-life patients. In conclusion, the practices, termed 'palliative care' by the caregivers, are addressed to terminally ill patients expected to die shortly. This issue should be debated within emergency departments.

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Palliative care in emergency departments: an impossible challenge?

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