scholarly journals Chemotherapy versus supportive care alone in pediatric palliative care for cancer: comparing the preferences of parents and health care professionals

2011 ◽  
Vol 183 (17) ◽  
pp. E1252-E1258 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Tomlinson ◽  
U. Bartels ◽  
J. Gammon ◽  
P. S. Hinds ◽  
J. Volpe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Supportive Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Pediatric Palliative Care

Pediatric Palliative Care Online: The Views of Health Care Professionals

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla D.L. Ens ◽  
Harvey M. Chochinov ◽  
Josette L.M. BÉrard ◽  
Mike S. Harlos ◽  
Simone J. Stenekes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Pediatric Palliative Care

Inter-Rater Reliability of the Phase of Illness Tool in Pediatric Palliative Care

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (10) ◽  
pp. 837-843
Author(s):  
Kimberley Burke ◽  
Lucy H. Coombes ◽  
Ann Petruckevitch ◽  
Anna-Karenia Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Care Setting ◽  
Care Plan ◽  
Pediatric Palliative Care ◽  
Rater Reliability ◽  
Unstable Phase ◽  
Palliative Care Setting ◽  
Level Of Agreement

Background: Phase of Illness is used to describe the stages of a patient’s illness in the palliative care setting. Categorization is based on individual needs, family circumstances, and the adequacy of a care plan. Substantial (κ = .67) and moderate (κ = .52) inter-rater reliability is demonstrated when categorizing adults; however, there is a lack of similar studies in pediatrics. Objective: To test the inter-rater reliability of health-care professionals when assigning pediatric palliative care patients to a Phase of Illness. Furthermore, to obtain user views on phase definitions, ease of assignment, feasibility and acceptability of use. Method: A prospective cohort study in which up to 9 health-care professionals’ independently allocated 80 pediatric patients to a Phase of Illness and reported on their experiences. This study took place between June and November 2017. Results: Professionals achieved a moderate level of agreement (κ = 0.50). Kappa values per phase were as follows: stable = 0.63 (substantial), unstable = 0.26 (fair), deteriorating = 0.45 (moderate), and dying = 0.43 (moderate). For the majority of allocations, professionals report that the phase definitions described patients very well (76.1%), and they found it easy to assign patients (73.5%). However, the unstable phase caused the most uncertainty. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest Phase of Illness is a moderately reliable, acceptable, and feasible tool for use in pediatric palliative care. Current results are similar to those found in some adult studies. However, in a quarter of cases, users report some uncertainty in the application of the tool, and further study is warranted to explore whether suggested refinements improve its psychometric properties.

Collective soul: The spirituality of an interdisciplinary palliative care team

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
SHANE SINCLAIR ◽  
SHELLEY RAFFIN ◽  
JOSE PEREIRA ◽  
NANCY GUEBERT
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Palliative Care Team ◽  
Care Team ◽  
Cancer Center ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Spiritual Journeys ◽  
Common Goals

Objective:Although spirituality as it relates to patients is gaining increasing attention, less is known about how health care professionals (HCP) experience spirituality personally or collectively in the workplace. This study explores the collective spirituality of an interdisciplinary palliative care team, by studying how individuals felt about their own spirituality, whether there was a shared sense of a team spirituality, how spirituality related to the care the team provided to patients and whether they felt that they provided spiritual care.Methods:A qualitative autoethnographic approach was used. The study was conducted in a 10-bed Tertiary Palliative Care Unit (TPCU) in a large acute-care referral hospital and cancer center. Interdisciplinary team members of the TPCU were invited to participate in one-to-one interviews and/or focus groups. Five interviews and three focus groups were conducted with a total of 20 participants.Results:Initially participants struggled to define spirituality. Concepts of spirituality relating to integrity, wholeness, meaning, and personal journeying emerged. For many, spirituality is inherently relational. Others acknowledged transcendence as an element of spirituality. Spirituality was described as being wrapped in caring and often manifests in small daily acts of kindness and of love, embedded within routine acts of caring. Palliative care served as a catalyst for team members' own spiritual journeys. For some participants, palliative care represented a spiritual calling. A collective spirituality stemming from common goals, values, and belonging surfaced.Significance of results:This was the first known study that focused specifically on the exploration of a collective spirituality. The culture of palliative care seems to foster spiritual reflection among health care professionals both as individuals and as a whole. While spirituality was difficult to describe, it was a shared experience often tangibly present in the provision of care on all levels.

Moral distress experienced by health care professionals who provide home-based palliative care

2010 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
pp. 1687-1691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Brazil ◽  
Sharon Kassalainen ◽  
Jenny Ploeg ◽  
Denise Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Moral Distress ◽  
Home Based

scholarly journals Social and Health System Complexities Impacting on Decision-Making for Utilization of Oncology and Palliative Care in an African Context: A Qualitative Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Agom ◽  
Stuart Allen ◽  
Sarah Neill ◽  
Judith Sixsmith ◽  
Helen Poole ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Semistructured Interview ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Care System

Background: There is a dearth of research focusing on identifying the social complexities impacting on oncology and palliative care (PC), and no study has explored how the health-care system in Nigeria or other African contexts may be influencing utilization of these services. Aim: This study explored how social complexities and the organization of health-care influenced the decision-making process for the utilization of oncology and PC in a Nigerian hospital. Methods: This qualitative study used an interpretive descriptive design. Data were collected using semistructured interview guides with 40 participants, comprising health-care professionals, patients, and their families. Thematic analysis was conducted to generate and analyze patterns within the data. Findings: Three themes were identified: dysfunctional structural organization of the health-care delivery system, service-users’ economic status, and the influence of social networks. The interrelationship between the themes result in patients and their family members decisions either to present late to the hospital, miss their clinical appointments, or not to seek oncological health care and PC. Conclusion: This article offers insights into the role of the health-care system, as organized currently in Nigeria, as “autoinhibitory” and not adequately prepared to address the increasing burden of cancer. We therefore argue that there is a need to restructure the Nigerian health-care system to better meet the needs of patients with cancer and their families as failure to do so will strengthen the existing inequalities, discourage usage, and increase mortality.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document