A better understanding of the concept “a good death”: How do healthcare providers define a good death?

Title: To a better understanding of the concept of “a good death”: How do patients, close relatives and healthcare providers define a good death and which affecting factors are important? Introduction: The goal of palliative care is to improve the quality of life when recovery isn’t possible anymore. The objective is to widen our vision of potential (unspoken) needs at the end of life with patients, close relatives, nurses and general practitioners. This is to aim at a more versatile, but personal care at the end of life. The research question is: “How important do patients, close relatives and healthcare providers consider the 11 core themes in defining a good death as described in the article of Meier ‘Defining a Good Death’ in 2016?” Method: Specific questionnaires for general practitioners, nurses, patients and family members were distributed in the working area of the Palliative Care Network in the region Aalst-Dendermonde-Ninove with the cooperation of 5 Local Quality Groups (LOK’s), 2 nursing homes and 2 groups of homecare nurses. The data was analyzed with Microsoft Excel 2016 and the statistical program SAS. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 67 nurses, 57 general practitioners, 16 patients and 8 family members. Although, the 34 subthemes were generally considered important to be able to speak of a good death, there were still significant differences determined with healthcare providers, between general practitioners and nurses, men and women, and depending on their age. Nurses found the following themes significantly more important than general practitioners: dying during sleep, the patient isn’t a burden to their close relatives, life well lived, faith, all available treatments were used, the patient’s last phase of life can be lived in a usual and meaningful manner, he/she can talk to their healthcare provider about spiritual beliefs or fears in relation to dying, the presence of pets and the cost of healthcare. All groups considered unanimously that a pain-free death was the most important. General practitioners, nurses, patients and close relatives found the following themes as important: support of family, respect for the patient as an individual, being able to say goodbye and euthanasia in case of unbearable suffering. Discussion and conclusion: In agreement with the patient, medical care should focus on a pain-free situation during the last phase of life and not on the exhaustion of possible treatments which prolongs life unnecessarily. Appropriate care at the end of life can be broader and all 34 subtheme’s can be important in early healthcare planning. Significant differences between general practitioners and nurses deserve attention, because patients and family members expect that healthcare providers will work together as a team.

Jaar van publicatie:2019

BOF-keylabel:ja

IOF-keylabel:ja

BOF-publication weight:3

CSS-citation score:2

Authors from:Higher Education

Toegankelijkheid:Open