J Palliat Care
-
In the Rotterdam Cancer Institute, nurses from the palliative care unit take care of accessibility outside office hours for patients transferred home with technical equipment for symptoms control. The nurses use a predetermined assessment tool (PAT) for handling telephone calls. A retrospective evaluation on the registration forms used over the years 1997-1999 was performed to evaluate the telephone service. ⋯ In 152 of the 157 telephone calls (97%), problems could be solved without admission. The mean time to answer a call was 16 minutes. The telephone service and the use of the PAT made it possible to solve 97% of problems without admission.
-
Informal carers of home palliative care patients have high unmet needs. However, interventions for carers are few. ⋯ The intervention was designed by integrating the findings from a qualitative study and the evidence on needs and interventions, in order to address the key issues of feasibility, acceptability, and accessibility. Qualitative data from attendees showed that identifying with other carers and validating feelings, asking questions of professionals, and providing each other with support and encouragement were valuable outcomes from the group.
-
A common question about palliative care from those unfamiliar with the work is, "But isn't it depressing?" This view distances palliative care workers from the general public and reflects a deeply held belief that matters associated with death and dying are negative. Published definitions fall short of capturing a full understanding of the work, making it difficult to communicate the meaning of palliative care. ⋯ Palliative care was described as "a way of living" and, throughout the descriptions, the concept of "vitality" emerged as the core meaning of palliative care. In the current economic environment, where there is competition for health care funding, more widespread agreement about the meaning of palliative care is important if informed decisions are to be made about allocation of resources.