Palliative Care - Bankstown Hospital - Grand Rounds - Further Reading - LibGuides at South Western Sydney Local Health District

Introduction

Welcome to the Grand Rounds Further Reading List, Palliative Care edition, brought to you by the Clinical Library, on Level 4, next to the Auditorium.

This library guide is to help support you in your professional development. Please give us feedback so we can improve this list in the future.

If you are presenting at a later Grand Rounds, please contact lynne.roberts3@health.nsw.gov.au and tell us about the content of your paper so we can add appropriate resources to the list for when you present your paper.

If you have any questions, please contact the Clinical Library on 9722 8250 or email SWSLHD-BankstownLibrary@health.nsw.gov.au or visit us Monday to Fridays, 8.30am - 5.00pm.

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC

What we say……. What patients hear”

Journal Articles

Chen, W., et al. (2023). "End-of-life communication strategies for healthcare professionals: A scoping review." Palliative Medicine 37(1): 61-74 PDF AT URL https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/02692163221133670

Background: Timely and effective communication about end-of-life issues, including conversations about prognosis and goals of care, are extremely beneficial to terminally ill patients and their families. However, given the context, healthcare professionals may find it challenging to initiate and facilitate such conversations. Hence, it is critical to improving the available communication strategies to enhance end-of-life communication practices. Aim: To summarise the end-of-life communication strategies recommended for healthcare professionals, identify research gaps and inform future research. Design: A scoping review performed in accordance with the Arksey and O’Malley framework. Data sources: A literature search was conducted between January 1990 and January 2022 using PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases and Google, Google Scholar and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. Studies that described recommended end-of-life communication strategies for healthcare professionals were included. Results: Fifty-nine documents were included. Seven themes of communication strategies were found: (a) preparation; (b) exploration and assessment; (c) family involvement; (d) provision and tailoring of information; (e) empathic emotional responses; (f) reframing and revisiting the goals of care; and (g) conversation closure. Conclusions: The themes of communication strategies found in this review provide a framework to integrally promote end-of-life communication. Our results will help inform healthcare professionals, thereby promoting the development of specialised training and education on end-of-life communication.

Engel, M., et al. (2023). "Effective communication in palliative care from the perspectives of patients and relatives: A systematic review." Palliative and Supportive Care 21(5): 890-913 Cambridge Core PDF AT LINK https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/AA24C3B7AE4ECCDE973A0B81562E7A42

Objectives: In palliative care, effective communication is essential to adequately meet the needs and preferences of patients and their relatives. Effective communication includes exchanging information, facilitates shared decision-making, and promotes an empathic care relationship. We explored the perspectives of patients with an advanced illness and their relatives on effective communication with health-care professionals. Methods: A systematic review was conducted. We searched Embase, Medline, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane for original empirical studies published between January 1, 2015 and March 4, 2021.Results: In total, 56 articles on 53 unique studies were included. We found 7 themes that from the perspectives of patients and relatives contribute to effective communication: (1) open and honest information. However, this open and honest communication can also trigger anxiety, stress, and existential disruption. Patients and relatives also indicated that they preferred (2) health-care professionals aligning to the patient’s and relative’s process of uptake and coping with information; (3) empathy; (4) clear and understandable language; (5) leaving room for positive coping strategies, (6) committed health-care professionals taking responsibility; and (7) recognition of relatives in their role as caregiver. Most studies in this review concerned communication with physicians in a hospital setting. Significance of results: Most patients and relatives appreciate health-care professionals to not only pay attention to strictly medical issues but also to who they are as a person and the process they are going through. More research is needed on effective communication by nurses, in nonhospital settings and on communication by health-care professionals specialized in palliative care.

Clover, A., et al. (2004). "Patient approaches to clinical conversations in the palliative care setting." Journal of Advanced Nursing 48(4): 333-341 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2004.03202.x

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Aim. The aim of this paper is to report a study exploring patients’ understanding of their discussions about end-of-life care with nurses in a palliative care setting. Background. It is assumed that nurses are central players in patients’ major decisions about their care, yet minimal information is available about the complexity of patient–nurse interaction in palliative care, and patients’ views of the impact of such interactions on decisions that are made. Method. A modified version of grounded theory was used to collect and analyse interview data collected in 2001–2002 with a convenience sample of 11 patients in a palliative care setting. Interviews focused on each patient's selection of two decisions they had made in the past 6 months that had involved nurses in the decision-making process. Findings. Processes were identified between nurses and patients that facilitated or blocked open discussion and discernment of patients’ preferences for care. Six approaches that patients used in their conversations with nurses about their care: wait and see, quiet acceptance, active acceptance, tolerating bossiness, negotiation and being adamant. These approaches are described in terms of how they assisted or impeded autonomous decision-making. Conclusion. Palliative care patients often adopt passive roles and tend not to engage in important decision-making, for various reasons. Professionals need to be made aware of this, and should facilitate an open, trusting relationship with patients in order to ensure that important information passes freely in both directions. Professionals should learn to prioritize patient participation and negotiation in their work. With further research, it should be possible to identify the factors that will allow patients to take a more pro-active role in making decisions about their care, where desired.

Markiewicz, A., et al. (2023). "Enhancing Palliative Communication in the Intensive Care Unit Through Simulation: A Quality Improvement Project." Clinical Simulation in Nursing 77: 1-5 ARTICLE AT URL https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10519725/pdf/jhpc-26-2-42.pdf

Background Palliative communication is a vital aspect of patient and family-centered end-of-life care in the intensive care unit. Despite this, specialty-specific training and education in palliative communication are generally limited for critical care nurses. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to assess the effect of adding a simulation-based learning experience to the existing End of Life Nursing Education Consortium adult critical care course on critical care nurse comfort with palliative communication as a component of end-of-life care. Method Using a pretest/post-test design, 11 critical care nurse participants completed a measure of comfort related to end-of-life communication prior to the course and immediately following the simulation experience. Result A paired-samples t-test showed a statistically increase in comfort with palliative communication from the pretest (M = 56.36, SE = 2.40) to post-test (M = 48.27, SE = 2.97), t (10) = 2.54, p = .30 (two-tailed), The mean decrease in scores was 8.09, 95% CI (0.98, 15.91). Qualitative survey responses indicated that the simulation provided valuable practice of palliative communication techniques. Conclusion A simulation-based learning experience incorporated into an existing palliative care education course is feasible to implement and increased critical care nurse comfort with palliative communication at end-of-life.

Paladino, J., et al. (2023). "Improving serious illness communication: a qualitative study of clinical culture." BMC Palliative Care 22(1): 104 PDF AT LINK https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12904-023-01229-x.pdf

Communication about patients’ values, goals, and prognosis in serious illness (serious illness communication) is a cornerstone of person-centered care yet difficult to implement in practice. As part of Serious Illness Care Program implementation in five health systems, we studied the clinical culture-related factors that supported or impeded improvement in serious illness conversations.

Pun, J., et al. (2023). "Role of patients’ family members in end-of-life communication: an integrative review." BMJ Open 13(2): e067304 https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/13/2/e067304.full.pdf PDF AT LINK

Objectives: To synthesise empirical findings on the role of family in end-of-life (EOL) communication and to identify the communicative practices that are essential for EOL decision-making in family-oriented cultures. Setting: The EOL communication settings. Participants: This integrative review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting guideline. Relevant studies published between 1 January 1991 and 31 December 2021 were retrieved from four databases, including the PsycINFO, Embase, MEDLINE and Ovid nursing databases, using keywords with meanings of ‘end-of-life’, ‘communication’ and ‘family’. Data were then extracted and coded into themes for analysis. The search strategy yielded 53 eligible studies; all 53 included studies underwent quality assessment. Quantitative studies were evaluated using the Quality Assessment Tool, and Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist was used for qualitative research. Primary and secondary outcome measures: Research evidence on EOL communication with a focus on family. Results: Four themes emerged from these studies: (1) conflicts in family decision-making in EOL communication, (2) the significance of timing of EOL communication, (3) difficulty in identification of a ‘key person’ who is responsible for decisions regarding EOL care and (4) different cultural perspectives on EOL communication. Conclusions : The current review pointed towards the importance of family in EOL communication and illustrated that family participation likely leads to improved quality of life and death in patients. Future research should develop a family-oriented communication framework which is designed for the Chinese and Eastern contexts that targets on managing family expectations during prognosis disclosure and facilitating patients’ fulfilment of familial roles while making EOL decision-making. Clinicians should also be aware of the significance of the role of family in EOL care and manage family members’ expectations according to cultural contexts. Data sharing not applicable as no datasets generated and/or analysed for this study.

Books

The Art of Breaking Bad News Well by Jalid Sehouli
Call Number: Print book
ISBN: 9780367356682
Publication Date: 2019
As Head of Oncological Surgery and the Gynecology Clinic at Berlin's Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center, Jalid Sehouli is one of the world's leading cancer specialists. Every day, he experiences situations in which conversations take on a life-or-death significance. Delivering bad news is one of the most difficult tasks we face in life, especially for professionals such as doctors, police, or crisis intervention personnel, yet it is rarely touched on during training. Over the course of their career, a doctor will hold conversations with around 200,000 patients and their relatives that invariably involve delivering good or bad news. Either way, existential questions will arise, and the way the news is delivered is vital: recent studies show that it has a significant impact on patients' quality of life and the way they experience treatment. Mixing his wide-ranging professional experience with personal stories, Sehouli describes the emotions and perspectives of those who have to give and receive bad news from a broad perspective. His book can be helpful for anyone who has to deliver bad news--managers, friends, or parents.
The Doctor's Communication Handbook by Peter Tate; Francesca Frame
Call Number: Print book
ISBN: 9780367198220
Publication Date: 2019
Of previous editions: '... breaks new ground in its readability ... It is concise, wise, and firmly pragmatic'. British Medical Journal 'Since it was first published in 1994, Peter Tate's The Doctor's Communication Handbook has been essential reading to improve GP registrars' communication skills'. Practical Diabetes International This bestselling title has established itself as the ultimate guide to patient communication for all doctors, whatever their experience and wherever they practice. Highly respected by many and acclaimed for its light, conversational tone, this completely updated and expanded eighth edition remains a key text for doctors at all levels and in all settings, particularly candidates sitting for the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners. Key features: Unique and accessible approach to this vital and frequently poorly practiced aspect of medicine Addresses the change in practice where traditional doctor consultations are increasingly being done by other health professionals, including nurse practitioners and paramedics Reflects the dissolution of the primary/secondary care boundary, and the increasing importance of shared responsibility for patient communication in clinical and social care Covers the new types of consultation including telephone triage and virtual consultation and the associated risks and benefits Retains all the features praised in previous editions − brevity, readability and humour As patients become participants, doctors are increasingly adjusting to new roles and forms of communication − from orators and governors to confidants and interpreters. The Doctor's Communication Handbook continues to provide an invaluable 'one stop shop' to help students, practicing doctors, nurses and other healthcare practitioners value and improve their skills in this area.
Dying for a Chat by Ranjana Srivastava
Call Number: Print book
ISBN: 9780143569640
Publication Date: 2013
Medical oncologist Ranjana Srivastava contends that the best medicine begins with a good chat, to guide the decision-making of both doctors and patients. Increasingly, people are unable to properly comprehend the complex treatment choices on offer, or are self-diagnosing and demanding unnecessary or risky procedures. Doctors, in turn, feel unable to deny the requests of patients and their families. Narrow specialization also means no one is discussing the overall picture of a patient's health. Srivastava warns that people are suffering--even dying--as a result, and the medical profession should be taking responsibility.In a frank and clear-eyed assessment of an unacknowledged crisis, she makes an impassioned case for healthcare training to incorporate effective communication skills.
Field Guide to the Difficult Patient Interview by Frederic W. Platt; Geoffrey H. Gordon
Call Number: Print book
ISBN: 9780781747745
Publication Date: 2004
Written by physicians skilled at coaching colleagues in physician-patient communication, this pocket guide presents practical strategies for handling a wide variety of difficult patient interviews. Each chapter presents a hypothetical scenario, describes effective communication techniques for each phase of the interaction, and identifies pitfalls to avoid. The presentation includes examples of physician-patient dialogue, illustrations showing body language, and key references. This edition includes new chapters on caring for physician-patients, communicating with colleagues, disclosing unexpected outcomes and medical errors, shared decision making and informed consent, and teaching communication skills. Other new chapters describe clinical attitudes such as patience, curiosity, and hope.
Oxford Handbook of Palliative Care by Max Watson (Editor); Stephen Ward (Editor); Nandini Vallath (Editor); Jo Wells (Editor); Rachel Campbell (Editor)
Call Number: WB 310/WAT/3
ISBN: 9780198745655
Publication Date: 2019
The Oxford Handbook of Palliative Care returns for a third edition, maintaining the concise yet comprehensive format suited to the busy practitioner for quick access to key information, and fully updated to reflect changes in the palliative care landscape.Featuring an increased emphasis on non-malignant diseases such as dementia, this authoritative text combines evidence-based care with the bedside experience of experienced palliative care professionals to give the reader a complete overview of the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of carefor the end-of-life patient. Symptom management is covered in detail, with updated formulary tables and syringe driver protocols, and a new chapter on international perspectives to broaden the reader's perception of methods for delivering end-of-life care.The third edition of the Oxford Handbook of Palliative Care is the essential companion for all of those working with adults, children, and families with palliative care needs, in both hospital and community settings.
Oxford Textbook of Communication in Oncology and Palliative Care by David W. Kissane (Editor); Barry D. Bultz (Editor); Phyllis N. Butow (Editor); Simon Noble (Editor); Susie Wilkinson (Editor); Carma L. Bylund (Editor)
Call Number: Print boom
ISBN: 9780198832010
Publication Date: 2018
Now in paperback, the Oxford Textbook of Communication in Oncology and Palliative Care integrates clinical wisdom with empirical findings. Written by an international team of authors, it draws upon the history of communication science, providing the reader with a comprehensive curriculum for applied communication skills training.An essential resource, the Oxford Textbook of Communication in Oncology and Palliative Care is filled with tips and strategies for effective communication in difficult and challenging scenarios. In focusing on cancer and the end-of-life, it deals with the existential and spiritual challenges found across all of medicine, providing deep insights into what is at stake and how clinicians might optimally respond. This authoritative and wide-ranging book provides clinicians with state-of-the-art and evidence-based guidelines to achieve effective, patient-centred communication in the clinical settings of oncology and palliative care. This edition includes sections on the curriculum for nurses, the core curriculum, and an introductory section on communication science. The chapters embrace specialty issues across the clinical disciplines, from enrolling in clinical trials, working in teams, and discussing genetic risk, to talking about sexuality, infertility, and intercultural issues. An educational perspective is also provided, with chapters covering communication skills training, how to evaluate courses, and international models of training.
Psychosocial Issues in Palliative Care by Mari Lloyd-Williams (Editor)
Call Number: Print book
ISBN: 9780198806677
Publication Date: 2018-
This fully-updated and expanded new edition takes a comprehensive look at current practice and provision of psychosocial support as applied to a range of palliative care patients. A number of important areas are covered including community approaches of psychosocial care, neonatal palliative care, the provision of psychosocial care to families, the role of volunteers in supporting palliative care professionals, and the needs of the frail elderly, marginalized patients, and those with dementia.

E-Books

The Helping Professional's Guide to End-Of-Life Care by E. Alessandra Strada
Call Number: ProQuest E-Book Central database (login required
ISBN: 9781608821990
Publication Date: 2013
Nearly half of people at the end of life will receive hospice care, but few psychologists, nurses, physicians, chaplains, and hospice workers have been trained specifically to recognize and address the psychological, social, and emotional issues that may arise in patients who are dying. Patients in the midst of advanced terminal illness may experience a variety of distressing emotions, and may feel anxious, frightened, regretful, or desperate. This guide was created specifically to guide helping professionals of all kinds through the process of working through patients' psychological issues to allow them peace and comfort in their final moments. The Helping Professional's Guide to End-of-Life Care clarifies the spiritual and emotional care that patients need and presents an evidence-based approach integrating cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), transpersonal psychotherapy, hypnosis, mindfulness, and guided imagery to help patients manage emotional distress at the end of life. Through case conceptualizations and detailed treatment planning guidance, readers learn to formulate comprehensive assessment and treatment plans for patients and gain skills that will help them manage the emotional intensity of this work. This secular, professional treatment model can be applied to patients of any religious or spiritual background. The book also addresses integrating the patient's therapeutic team with the medical team, addressing the emotional needs of friends and family of the dying, crisis intervention for suicidal patients, working with clients on psychotropic medications, and how helping professionals can manage their own emotions to become more effective clinicians.
Palliative Care by Christina Faull; Kerry Blankley
Call Number: ProQuest E-Book Central database
ISBN: 9780198702412
Publication Date: 2015
The care of patients with advanced and terminal illness can be extremely rewarding but often causes professionals a considerable amount of discomfort. This is especially so when you feel under confident in your abilities to provide a high quality of symptom management and relief from distressand to communicate appropriately with patients. Patients with advanced disease present some of the most challenging ethical, physical, psychological and social issues to clinicians and indeed to society.Patients need us to be knowledgeable, skilful and understanding. The fully revised and updated new edition of Palliative Care outlines the fundamental principles and facts which will enable you to make a very real difference to your patients and their families. Information is provided in anaccessible, user-friendly way and covers a wide range of physical and non-physical symptom management. Multi-professional team work is addressed, as is the role and support of families. There is also a consideration of the dilemmas and decisions that may be encountered by doctors around the end of apatient's life.This practical resource, designed to provoke contemplative professional development, and enhance learning will be essential reading for nursing and medical practitioners, and other professionals who support patients in their homes, in care homes, and in hospital.
Textbook of Palliative Care Communication by Elaine Wittenberg (Editor); Betty R. Ferrell (Editor); Joy Goldsmith (Editor); Thomas Smith (Editor); Sandra Ragan (Editor); Myra Glajchen (Editor); George Handzo (Editor)
Call Number: E-book
ISBN: 9780190201708
Publication Date: 2015
The Textbook of Palliative Care Communication is the authoritative text on communication in palliative care, providing a compilation of international and interdisciplinary perspectives. The volume was uniquely developed by an interdisciplinary editorial team to address an array of providers including physicians, nurses, social workers, and chaplains, and unites clinicians with academic researchers interested in the study of communication. By featuring practical conversation and curriculum tools stemming from research, this text integrates scholarship and inquiry into translatable content that others can use to improve their practice, teach skills to others, and engage in patient-centered communication. The volume begins by defining communication, explicating debatable issues in research, and highlighting specific approaches to studying communication in a palliative care context. Chapters focus on health literacy and cultural communication, patient and family communication, barriers and approaches to discussing palliative care with specific patient populations, discussing pain, life support, advance care planning, and quality of life topics such as sexuality, spirituality, hope, and grief. Team communication in various care settings is outlined and current research and education for healthcare professionals are summarized. Unique to this volume are chapters on conducting communication research, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to promote further research in palliative care.

E-journals

BMC Palliative Care

01/2002 - Current Available via CIAP or PubMed

Palliative Care: Research and Treatment

01/2008 - Current. Available via CIAP or PubMed

Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care

04/2007 - Current Available via CIAP

Web Resources

Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection is an essential full-text database for psychologists, counselors, researchers and students. It provides hundreds of full-text psychology journals, including many indexed in APA PsycInfo. It offers particularly strong coverage in child and adolescent psychology and counseling. Available via Bankstown Hospital Clinical Library's myAthens website. Register for access.