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What is important to measure in the last months and weeks of life?: A modified nominal group study

What is important to measure in the last months and weeks of life?: A modified nominal group study
What is important to measure in the last months and weeks of life?: A modified nominal group study
Background: Identifying the most important issues for palliative care patients and their families, and assessing whether services address these appropriately is important. Little is known about the views of United Kingdom service users and whether, and in what ways, they differ from those in the published literature from other countries, or from health professionals.
Aims: To investigate what is important to measure at the end of life from the perspectives of United Kingdom patients, bereaved relatives and health care professionals.
Methods: Ten focus groups, using a modified nominal group technique, with a total of 75 participants (10 patients, 35 professionals and 30 bereaved relatives) enabled issues participants thought important to measure at the end of life to be identified and prioritised using ratings and rankings. Thematic analysis of the data was conducted to enable cross-group comparison.
Findings: Seven themes were identified as most important to participants: symptom management; choice and control; dignity; quality of life; preparation; relationships; and co-ordination and continuity. Bereaved relatives and professionals emphasised symptom management, relationships and quality of life, whilst patients prioritised issues around preparation.
Conclusions: The study was successful in identifying aspects of end of life care that are important to patients, families and health professionals in the United Kingdom. Although participants were not representative of the wider population in the United Kingdom, the degree of concordance with published studies from outside the United Kingdom increases the credibility of the findings. Quality assurance initiatives need to ensure that they act on information such as this on users’ priorities. Further research is needed to test out the findings in other settings in the United Kingdom, to build on the findings about different participants’ views and to identify similarities and variations between countries.
Quality indicators, Palliative care, User involvement, Nursing, Nominal group technique
0020-7489
393-403
Aspinal, F.
feaf34ed-bd3a-4e65-966e-e3840c5ed49a
Hughes, R.
938ac53c-edfb-4b20-b99b-31e2cbd18768
Dunckley, M.
1ea4fc8f-b8b6-4ff5-858c-6abda1215410
Addington-Hall, J.
87560cc4-7562-4f9b-b908-81f3b603fdd8
Aspinal, F.
feaf34ed-bd3a-4e65-966e-e3840c5ed49a
Hughes, R.
938ac53c-edfb-4b20-b99b-31e2cbd18768
Dunckley, M.
1ea4fc8f-b8b6-4ff5-858c-6abda1215410
Addington-Hall, J.
87560cc4-7562-4f9b-b908-81f3b603fdd8

Aspinal, F., Hughes, R., Dunckley, M. and Addington-Hall, J. (2006) What is important to measure in the last months and weeks of life?: A modified nominal group study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 43 (4), 393-403. (doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2005.06.005).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: Identifying the most important issues for palliative care patients and their families, and assessing whether services address these appropriately is important. Little is known about the views of United Kingdom service users and whether, and in what ways, they differ from those in the published literature from other countries, or from health professionals.
Aims: To investigate what is important to measure at the end of life from the perspectives of United Kingdom patients, bereaved relatives and health care professionals.
Methods: Ten focus groups, using a modified nominal group technique, with a total of 75 participants (10 patients, 35 professionals and 30 bereaved relatives) enabled issues participants thought important to measure at the end of life to be identified and prioritised using ratings and rankings. Thematic analysis of the data was conducted to enable cross-group comparison.
Findings: Seven themes were identified as most important to participants: symptom management; choice and control; dignity; quality of life; preparation; relationships; and co-ordination and continuity. Bereaved relatives and professionals emphasised symptom management, relationships and quality of life, whilst patients prioritised issues around preparation.
Conclusions: The study was successful in identifying aspects of end of life care that are important to patients, families and health professionals in the United Kingdom. Although participants were not representative of the wider population in the United Kingdom, the degree of concordance with published studies from outside the United Kingdom increases the credibility of the findings. Quality assurance initiatives need to ensure that they act on information such as this on users’ priorities. Further research is needed to test out the findings in other settings in the United Kingdom, to build on the findings about different participants’ views and to identify similarities and variations between countries.

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More information

Published date: May 2006
Keywords: Quality indicators, Palliative care, User involvement, Nursing, Nominal group technique

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 28836
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/28836
ISSN: 0020-7489
PURE UUID: ef85fe15-96cc-49bd-9827-1ecc90486bd2

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 08 May 2006
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 07:27

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Contributors

Author: F. Aspinal
Author: R. Hughes
Author: M. Dunckley

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