Skills, expertise and role of Australian emergency clinicians in caring for people with advanced cancer

Abstract

ED clinicians in Australia, particularly those who have received palliative care education, feel comfortable and adequately skilled in managing people with advanced cancer presenting to EDs, and most find it rewarding. The importance of palliative care education to emergency clinicians' training should be recognised.

Improving quality in hospital end-of-life care: honest communication, compassion and empathy

“…People are living longer than ever before, often at the cost of living with debilitating multiple comorbidities requiring complex care or interventions (likely to require hospitalisation), which may well result in end-of-life care 12 34. The rhetoric around dying is that it is everyone’s business,35 but care of the dying in hospitals is undertaken by HCPs who are unlikely to have palliative care experience; be working in organisations that integrate a palliative approach to care,36 or necessarily refer to (or have access to) specialist palliative care 37…”

The experiences of patients with advanced cancer and caregivers presenting to Emergency Departments: A qualitative study

“…This study was undertaken as part of a larger mixed methods investigation of the presentation patterns, outcomes and experiences of patients with advanced cancer accessing care in Australian Emergency Departments. 5,[7][8][9][10][11][12] In this sub-study, an exploratory qualitative design was used with semi-structured interviews employed to elicit participants' perceptions and experiences of a recent Emergency Department admission in Melbourne, Australia.…”

“…6 These decisions are made under circumstances where disease and treatment information is limited. [7][8][9][10][11][12] In this context of changing clinical status and an absence of rapport or trusting relationships, guiding a shocked and distressed patient and/or their caregivers through complex and rapid decision-making is difficult. 12 For patients facing the end of life, along with their informal caregivers, the need for support in parallel with medical care has been noted.…”

Cuidados paliativos na emergência: revisão integrativa

“…Medline, BMJ Support Palliat Care, 2017, Austrália 25 Explorar o ponto de vista de médicos de emergência sobre suas habilidades, papel e experiência no cuidado de pessoas com câncer avançado.…”

“…A análise do modo como as equipes de emergência atendem pacientes em cuidados paliativos possibilitou responder à questão norteadora do estudo e identificar especificidades ou pontos de intersecção. Os aspectos mais evidentes foram: o cuidado pautado num plano individualizado e flexível, a gestão de rede de cuidados e o acesso a equipes de cuidados paliativos 3,[6][7][8][10][11][12][13][14][15]17,[20][21][24][25][26][27][28][29] .…”