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Multi‐faceted palliative care intervention: aged care nurses’ and care assistants’ perceptions and experiences
Author(s) -
Phillips Jane L.,
Davidson Patricia M.,
Jackson Debra,
Kristjanson Linda J.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04600.x
Subject(s) - palliative care , nursing , psychological intervention , thematic analysis , medicine , intervention (counseling) , focus group , psychology , qualitative research , social science , marketing , sociology , business
Title. Multi‐faceted palliative care intervention: aged care nurses’ and care assistants’ perceptions and experiences.Aim. This paper is a report of a study to describe residential aged care nurses’ and care assistants’ perceptions of a multi‐faceted palliative care intervention to identify potential areas to be addressed during subsequent action research phases. Background. Action research was used to enhance the delivery of a palliative approach in residential aged care. The chronic care model guided the development of a multi‐faceted intervention. This involved the: (1) establishment of a ‘link nurse’ role; (2) learning and development strategies for nurses, care assistants and general practitioners; (3) use of multi‐disciplinary team meetings; and (4) access to specialist consultation. Method. A purposive sample ( n = 28) of aged care nurses and care assistants participated in a series of four focus groups conducted in July 2005. Thematic content analysis of the transcripts was performed. Findings. Four themes emerged: (1) targeted education can make a difference; (2) a team approach is valued; (3) clinical assessment tools are helpful; and (4) using the right language is essential. Participants described increased understanding of palliative care concepts, enhanced competencies, greater confidence to deliver palliative care and a desire to adopt a multi‐disciplinary approach to care planning. Conclusion. Sustaining a culture that is committed to ongoing learning and development interventions and creating multi‐disciplinary teams in the aged care setting is critical to embedding a palliative approach. The chronic care model is a useful framework to guide the development of interventions leading to better palliative care outcomes for residents and their families.