Priorities in Palliative and End-of-Life Care: Public Consultation

The ‘Palliative and End of Life Care Priority Setting Partnership’ has initiated a public consultation on research priorities. Service users, families, carers and health professionals are invited to participate in a brief survey identifying the issues they feel need most attention from research and funders.

The survey can be accessed here: http://www.palliativecarepsp.org.uk/

‘Case stories’ on transnational dying

‘Case Stories’ is an interdisciplinary project on transnational dying. The project aims to better understand the pain of social exclusion, inequality and injustice at the end of life through stories.

The Case Stories website contains a wealth of information on dying as a migrant, ranging from personal accounts of using palliative care services to artwork and poetry inspired by people’s stories.

The project is the brainchild of Sociologist Yasmin Gunaratnam and supported by a British Academy Fellowship. 

Study Manager/Research Fellow: Dementia and Imagination Project (Bangor University, Wales)

Bangor University is participating in a three-year project on how visual arts can contribute to the health and well-being of people with dementia. The multi-disciplinary research will explore how visual arts change, sustain and catalyse community cultures, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours to create dementia friendly communities.

The project is currently looking for a Study Manager/Research Fellow with experience of multi-centre research studies, project management and team leadership, and quantitative, qualitative and observational research methods.

The closing date for applications is June 13th 2013. For more information click here.

Children’s Hospice Week – United Kingdom

To mark Children’s Hospice Week (April 26th-May 3rd), the Duchess of Cambridge has recorded her first video message.

If you would like to know more about Children’s Hospice Week, follow this link.

 

The University of Bath – 3 Year PhD studentship in care and cost at the end of life

The University of Bath is offering a PhD studentship as part of a project on care and costs at the end of life. The studentship will focus on inter-generational relationships between adult children and their parents in organising, and paying, for end of life care and associated expenses.

Applicants from a range of social science backgrounds (sociology, social policy, social work, gerontology, cultural studies, gender studies, anthropology, and economics), with experience in qualitative methods and an awareness of the policy implications of end of life care issues, are encouraged to apply.

Find more information here.

Research Fellow – University of Sheffield (Public Health)

The University of Sheffield is advertising for a Post-doctoral Research Fellow to  work on a EU project on health technology assessment for complex interventions using a specialist palliative care as a case study.

For more information click here.

Research Associate – University of Cambridge

The Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge,  is advertising a research position in their End of Life Care Group. Candidates should have experience of qualitative and quantitative research in Health Services and/or End of Life Care.

Application deadline: 15 October 2012

For more information click here.

Culture Is a Priority for Research in End-of-Life Care in Europe: A Research Agenda

We are pleased to announce that the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management has published the PRISMA project’s research agenda for culture and end-of-life care as a special article.

The abstract can be found below and the full article can be accessed here.

Abstract

Context

Culture has a profound influence on our understanding of what is appropriate care for patients at the end of life (EoL), but the evidence base is largely nonexistent.

Objectives

An international workshop was organized to compile a research agenda for cultural issues in EoL research, and assess challenges and implications of the integration of the culture concept in different contexts.

Methods

Participant experts were identified from the expert network established through an Internet-based call for expertise on culture and EoL care and from meetings. The workshop comprised presentations of research priorities from country and disciplinary perspectives, and group discussions. Analysis used all data gathered in the workshop and applied standard qualitative techniques.

Results

Thirty experts participated in the workshop and identified the following priorities for cross-cultural research: 1) clarifying the concepts of culture and cultural competence; 2) defining EoL in a context of social and cultural diversity, with a focus on concepts of EoL care and bioethics, experiences of receiving and giving EoL care, and care practices in different settings; and 3) developing appropriate methodologies and outcome measurements that address diversity.

Conclusion

This first pan-European meeting compiled a research agenda, identifying key areas for future research focusing on culture, diversity, and their operationalization. This requires international and multidisciplinary collaboration, which is necessary in the current efforts to synthesize best practices in EoL care.

Culture and End of Life Care: A Scoping Exercise in Seven European Countries

A recently published article from the PRISMA project provides a general overview of cultural issues in end of life care in seven European countries.

The abstract can be found below or the full article can be accessed here.

Aim

Culture is becoming increasingly important in relation to end of life (EoL) care in a context of globalization, migration and European integration. We explore and compare socio-cultural issues that shape EoL care in seven European countries and critically appraise the existing research evidence on cultural issues in EoL care generated in the different countries.

Methods

We scoped the literature for Germany, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Portugal, carrying out electronic searches in 16 international and country-specific databases and handsearches in 17 journals, bibliographies of relevant papers and webpages. We analysed the literature which was unearthed, in its entirety and by type (reviews, original studies, opinion pieces) and conducted quantitative analyses for each country and across countries. Qualitative techniques generated themes and sub-themes.

Results

A total of 868 papers were reviewed. The following themes facilitated cross-country comparison: setting, caregivers, communication, medical EoL decisions, minority ethnic groups, and knowledge, attitudes and values of death and care. The frequencies of themes varied considerably between countries. Sub-themes reflected issues characteristic for specific countries (e.g. culture-specific disclosure in the southern European countries). The work from the seven European countries concentrates on cultural traditions and identities, and there was almost no evidence on ethnic minorities.

Conclusion

This scoping review is the first comparative exploration of the cultural differences in the understanding of EoL care in these countries. The diverse body of evidence that was identified on socio-cultural issues in EoL care, reflects clearly distinguishable national cultures of EoL care, with differences in meaning, priorities, and expertise in each country. The diverse ways that EoL care is understood and practised forms a necessary part of what constitutes best evidence for the improvement of EoL care in the future.

Cicely Saunders International BuildCARE PhD Training Fellowship (Non-clinical)

Two non-clinical PhD positions are being offered by the Cicely Saunders Institute (King’s College London). The posts are aimed at social scientists, health service/economics researchers etc and will contribute to the “International Access, Rights and Empowerment” (IARE) Study – part of the BuildCARE project.

For more information click here.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 6 April 2012.