The perceived benefits and challenges of attending a Death Review meeting from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Background: The principles and philosophy of palliative care are grounded in person-centred and family-centred care. Clinical practice in caring for individuals who are dying, and their families, is complex. In an attempt to guide this practice, numerous theoretical approaches have been developed to assist in understanding the various considerations and challenges encountered by dying patients and their families. Health care professionals encounter many challenges themselves—particularly in relation to pain and symptom management, psychosocial and spiritual care—while also attempting to protect themselves in the midst of complex caring, grief and loss. Reflective practice, in the form of Death Reviews, provides an ideal forum for interdisciplinary team members to examine the intricacies of caring, so that the practices of end of life care can be enhanced. Aim: The primary aim of this study is to gain an understanding of the lived experience of two Irish interdisciplinary Community Palliative Care teams’ perceptions of attending a monthly Death Review meeting. Methodology: A qualitative approach, specifically Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used in this study. Semi-structured interviews were utilised to extrapolate participants’ experiences. Results: The findings suggest that all ten participants could see the benefit of this type of reflective practice meeting. One out of the ten participants did not feel that it was beneficial personally, but could see the benefit for others on the team. Lack of participation and time constraints were perceived as challenges associated with Death Reviews. Conclusion: Death reviews provide a useful forum to reflect on practice and remember and acknowledge the patients and families who have died. They also bring a sense of closure, while highlighting the importance of self-care when caring for individuals who are dying and their families. Diverse coping mechanisms with regard to responding to exposure to death and dying emerged from the findings. The importance of learning from our experiences was highlighted in this study with the ultimate aim of improving patient care.
National University of Ireland - Maynooth
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