Facilitating family needs and support at the end of life in hospital: A descriptive study
Bloomer, Melissa, Poon, P, Runacres, F and Hutchinson, Alison 2021, Facilitating family needs and support at the end of life in hospital: A descriptive study, Palliative Medicine, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1177/02692163211066431.
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Title
Facilitating family needs and support at the end of life in hospital: A descriptive study
Background:
Caring for family members of dying patients is a vital component of end-of-life care, yet family members’ needs at the end of life may be unmet.
Aim:
To explore hospital clinician assessment and facilitation of family needs and practices to support families at the end of life.
Design:
Descriptive study utilising a retrospective medical record audit.
Setting and Sample:
Undertaken in a large public hospital, the sample included 200 deceased patients from four specialities; general medicine (n = 50), intensive care (n = 50), inpatient palliative care (n = 50) and aged rehabilitation (n = 50). Data were analysed according to age; under 65-years and 65-years or over.
Results:
Deceased patients’ mean age was 75-years, 60% were Christian and Next-of-Kin were documented in 96% of cases. 79% spoke English, yet interpreters were used in only 6% of cases. Formal family meetings were held in 64% of cases. An assessment of family needs was undertaken in 52% of cases, and more likely for those under 65-years (p = 0.027). Cultural/religious practices were supported/facilitated in only 6% of all cases. Specialist palliative care involvement was more likely for those aged 65-years or over (p = 0.040) and social work involvement more likely for those under 65-years (p = 0.002). Pastoral care and bereavement support was low across the whole sample.
Conclusions:
Prioritising family needs should be core to end-of-life care. Anticipation of death should trigger routine referral to support personnel/services to ensure practice is guided by family needs. More research is needed to evaluate how family needs assessment can inform end-of-life care, supported by policy.
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