Paving the way for complementary medicine?
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Attitude of Health Personnel↗
Biomedical subjects
Susie Wilkinson
Publications and source records attributed to Susie Wilkinson.
A UK-wide postal survey to evaluate palliative care education amongst General Practice Registrars.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the content of General Practice Registrars' (GPRs) palliative care education in the U.K. METHODS: Postal questionnaires were sent to 492 eligible GPRs across six purposively sampled U.K. postgraduate deaneries. RESULTS: GPRs were satisfied with their course coverage on control of pain, other symptoms and communication skills, and were also moderately confident in applying the knowledge gained in these areas. They showed a high level of knowledge in the management of cancer-related pain. There was less satisfaction with the coverage given to syringe driver use (38%) and bereavement care (36%), with fewer expressing confidence in applying their knowledge to these areas. CONCLUSIONS: GPRs have mixed perceptions about their palliative care education. Future educational packages should ensure that GPRs receive planned systematic training in bereavement care and some practical experience in the use of syringe drivers. Both Postgraduate General Practice Education departments and specialist palliative care providers should explore ways of working more closely together to provide GPRs with more expertize in palliative care.
Adult↗
Measuring spiritual belief: development and standardization of a Beliefs and Values Scale.
BACKGROUND: Higher levels of religious involvement are modestly associated with better health, after taking account of other influences, such as age, sex and social support. However, little account is taken of spiritual beliefs that are not tied to personal or public religious practice. Our objective was to develop a standardized measure of spirituality for use in clinical research. METHOD: We characterized the core components of spirituality using narrative data from a purposive sample of people, some of whom were near the end of their lives. These data were developed into statements in a scale to measure strength of spiritual beliefs and its reliability, validity and factor structure were evaluated in order to reach a final version. RESULTS: Thirty-nine people took part in the qualitative study to define the nature of spirituality in their lives. These data were used to construct a 47-item instrument that was evaluated in 372 people recruited in medical and non-medical settings. Analysis of these statements led to a 24-item version that was evaluated in a further sample of 284 people recruited in similar settings. The final 20-item questionnaire performed with high test-retest and internal reliability and measures spirituality across a broad religious and non-religious perspective. CONCLUSIONS: A measure of spiritual belief that is not limited to religious thought, may contribute to research in psychiatry and medicine.
Adult↗
Constipation management in palliative care: a survey of practices in the United kingdom.
Fifty percent of patients admitted to hospices cite constipation as a concern. This study evaluates how constipation was managed in 11 hospices. Patients and nurses completed questionnaires at two time points: baseline and 7-10 days later. Outcomes were evaluated using a Constipation Visual Analogue Scale and a satisfaction with management of constipation questionnaire. A total of 475 patients participated; 413 completed both assessments. Forty-six percent of patients reported no constipation and 15% of patients reported severe constipation. For 75% of patients, no change in the perception of constipation was observed over the study period. Patients expressed satisfaction with their constipation management. The severity of constipation was overestimated by nurses in many patients. The findings indicate that constipation was being prevented or reasonably well managed. However, severe constipation continues to be a problem. Assessment of patients' bowel function needs to be more rigorous and those identified as severely constipated need daily monitoring.
Aged↗
A qualitative evaluation of the impact of palliative care day services: the experiences of patients, informal carers, day unit managers and volunteer staff.
OBJECTIVES: To explore the experiences of people involved in UK palliative care day services (PCDS) and identify the important outcomes of this service. METHODS: Focus groups were carried out separately with patients, informal carers and volunteers from four purposively selected palliative care day units and with day unit managers from 11 units. RESULTS: Patients benefited from both the support of PCDS professionals and social support of fellow PCDS patients, which contributed to a perceived improvement in their quality of life. Carers appreciated both the respite and support from PCDS, but acknowledged that they still had a poor quality of life. The challenges facing PCDS include the difficulties of discharging patients and the future role of volunteers. DISCUSSION: PCDS improved patients' perceived quality of life and future evaluations on patient outcomes could use concepts such as self-esteem, self-worth and confidence. Future service provision could explore the possibility of a mixed service using both the traditional and appointment-based system.
Adult↗
Evaluation of a hospice based reflexology service: a qualitative audit of patient perceptions.
Complementary therapies are being increasingly used in palliative care in the drive to improve patients' emotional, psychological and spiritual health, and enhance the quality of their lives. The importance of seeking the 'user' perspective when evaluating such services is becoming increasingly acknowledged. However, it is also extremely important that we elicit such perspectives in an ethically sensitive manner. This study used a simple semi-structured questionnaire to elicit the views of a convenience sample of 34 patients receiving palliative care at a specialist palliative core unit in the north of England who had completed a course of 4-6 sessions of reflexology. Patients' comments about the therapy and the service as a whole were overwhelmingly positive. They identified relaxation, relief from tension and anxiety, feelings of comfort and improved well-being as beneficial effects of their course of reflexology. Patients also spontaneously evaluated the experience holistically in terms of the wider therapeutic environment--the centre, the staff and the therapist as well as the therapy itself. The increasing demand for evidence based practice now challenges researchers to provide a relevant holistic assessment of complementary therapies using approaches that are both ethical and sensitive to the needs of this vulnerable patient population.
Journal Article↗
Marie Curie nurses: enabling patients with cancer to die at home.
Marie Curie Cancer Care established its nursing service in 1958; however, the service has had little formal evaluation. This study aimed to describe and evaluate the care provided by Marie Curie nurse, and in particular to determine whether patients in their care remained and died at home. Two existing data sets were used: data on all patients referred to the Marie Curie Nursing Services in 147 areas of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for 26 months, and data on cancer death registrations in England. A request for a Marie Curie nurse was made for 26,632 patients, 97% of whom had cancer and 11% of whom lived alone. The amount of care provided varied enormously (<1 hour-2862 hours), although the vast majority of patients less than 300 hours of nursing care. Place of death was recorded for only half these patients; 94% died at home, 2.5% in a hospice, 2.3% in a hospital, 0.2% in a nursing home and 0.6% other. Home death was most often associated with patients receiving medication via a syringe driver, patients living with other people, patients with cancer, other than prostate cancer, shorter time between referral and death and younger age. The results lend support to the theory that the care given to patients in their homes by Marie Curie nurses facilitated home death for many patients. Services need to ensure that mechanisms are in place to achieve data collection. Rigorous prospective evaluation is needed in the future.
Data Collection↗
Complementary therapies--patient demand.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Complementary Therapies↗
District nurses' referrals to home-based palliative nursing services.
This study investigated district nurses' considerations of the Marie Curie Nursing Service. Most saw the primary service as respite care and referred patients to it during late stages of illness rather than palliative phases. The MCNS is valued, but confusion exists about appropriate referral times and the services provided. Improvement in communication and education is needed. The provision of this home palliative nursing service helps to promote the principle of palliative care in optimising the quality of life of patients who have life-limiting diseases and their families.
Attitude of Health Personnel↗