European Journal of Palliative Care - 2018

In this issue’s Comment, Joint Editor Dr Sarah Russell muses on the role that the arts play in palliative care, linking words from the poet Chaucer to what can be learned from the articles in the current issue of the EJPC.

Lorna Fraser makes an impassioned plea for partnership between researchers planning studies in paediatric palliative care and those working in other specialties. She argues that funding should be prioritised for research that has the potential to make a real difference to children with life-limiting conditions or to science and advocates researchers working together across clinical and academic boundaries, nationally and internationally, so that all may benefit from the shared learning produced by large-scale, collaborative studies.

There is a scarcity of research into the end-of-life preferences of homeless people in the UK. Wendy Ann Webb, Theresa Mitchell, Brian Nyatanga and Paul Snelling examine the barriers to this population accessing palliative care and outline ways in which their preferences can be determined. They argue that while the priorities of homeless people are not yet known – and research into this area should itself be prioritised – it should not be assumed that they will mirror those of the general population who have a home and resources and who often have multiple support networks.

End-of-life doula Anna Lyons discusses her work, explaining that it’s about compassion, support and listening and also help with practical things, from walking the dog to helping facilitate better communication and understanding by translating medical terms.

Christian Okwudili Nweke and Leica Sarah Claydon-Mueller describe a study that aimed to identify the factors that contribute to the delayed discharge of dying patients from a District General Hospital to their own homes and explore the multidisciplinary team’s views on the discharge process.

Daniela Nikolaevna Frunza, Vladimir Poroch and Gabriel Dimofte describe a study that assessed the understanding of palliative care of third-year medical students at Iasi’s Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, with a view to enhancing their palliative care module.

From El Salvador, Mario López Saca and Ancu Feng present three cases of acute hyponatraemia that they decided to treat with home-based subcutaneous infusions, in order to avoid issues that often arise in patients with chronic disease receiving palliative care – namely, problematic venous access and difficulties in making hospital visits. Besides circumventing these issues, the authors argue that subcutaneous infusion allows the patient increased independence, gives family members and carers peace of mind and has the advantage that family and carers can be trained in its administration.

Clare White, Clare McVeigh, Sue Foster, Lynn Dunwoody and Max Watson describe research that assessed the effectiveness of a distance learning course run by the Northern Ireland Hospice that is designed to enhance health care professionals’ practice in caring for patients with dementia.

In his regular column, Barry Ashpole presents a selection of abstracts that highlight new findings and trends in the diverse and rapidly expanding body of research in the field of palliative and end-of-life care – in this issue he focuses on issues that affect homeless people.

The second edition of Advance Care Planning in End of Life Care from Oxford University Press was always going to be a key title for health and social care staff, not just in hospices but right across the health and social care system.

Histories is a fictional novel, a kaleidoscope of perspectives written in the first person and presenting a particular narrative belonging to a different person involved in some way with a set of stories that take place during the course of a week in a hospital.

In the second part of a study that aimed to explore perceptions of the role of Specialist Palliative Care services and of the journey of dementia patients through the service, Jacinta Kelly and Dympna O’Connell examine the observations of family members caring for a loved one and their experience of the service.