The American journal of hospice & palliative care
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Aug 2012
Experience of services as a key outcome in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) care: the case for a better understanding of patient experiences.
People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) frequently express dissatisfaction with services. Patient satisfaction with services in ALS care is not always measured and service user perspectives are not usually included when evaluating the outcomes of care. ⋯ Exploring the context of the ALS service user experience of care will identify a conceptual framework that will include the domains of satisfaction with care for patients with ALS. An instrument that draws on the ALS patient perspective of services, developed on the basis of qualitative investigation, should be used to measure satisfaction with services.
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Aug 2012
ReviewDesigning research with hospice and palliative care populations.
Research in palliative care and hospice populations is important for improving quality of care, quality of life, and provider understanding of individuals at the end of life. However, this research involves many potential challenges. This review seeks to inform and assist researchers targeting to design studies targeting hospice and palliative care patients by presenting a thorough review of the published literature. ⋯ Articles on pediatric hospice were not included. Issues discussed include study design, informed consent, and recruitment for participants. Synthesized recommendations for researchers in these populations are presented.
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Jun 2012
Case ReportsImproving cultural competency among hospice and palliative care volunteers: recommendations for social policy.
This case study of 14 hospice and palliative care volunteers looked for recommendations and suggestions on how to increase cultural competency among hospice volunteers. In-depth interviews were conducted with a hospice in Toronto, Canada, and findings reveal that volunteers have very specific and diverse recommendations on how they prefer to be briefed and educated on cultural competency issues surrounding their patients. Findings also reveal hospice volunteers want more cultural competency training and acknowledge the importance of being culturally competent. This article concludes with a précis on recommendations for increasing cultural competency in hospice and palliative care for both volunteers and agencies and discusses the top 4 future trends in cultural competency for hospice care.
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Jun 2012
Assessing challenges in end-of-life conversations with elderly patients with multiple morbidities.
This study reports on physicians' experiences in conducting end-of-life conversations with elderly patients who suffered from multiple co-morbidities (MCM). Our hypothesis was that both the lack of prognostic certainty and the lack of good communication tools contributed to physicians' discomfort with conducting EOL conversations with patients and families of patients with these conditions especially when compared with patients and families of patients who had a single, clear terminal diagnosis (e.g. pancreatic cancer). ⋯ Prognostic indicies and communication scripts may better prepare physicians to facilitate end-of-life conversations with MCM patients/families.