The role of Doctors’ religious faith and ethnicity in taking ethically controversial decisions during end-of-life care

Results of a survey of UK medical practitioners reporting on the care of their last patient who died. It highlights the impact that staff’s own beliefs, values, experiences can have on communication.

The study found that doctors who described themselves as non-religious were more likely than others to report giving deep continuous sedation until death and to have discussed these decisions with patients.

Seale C. (2010) The role of Doctors’ religious faith and ethnicity in taking ethically controversial decisions during end-of-life care Journal of Medical Ethics published online August 25, 2010

Read the abstract on the Journal of Medical Ethics website (accessed 11/05/2011)

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Disclosure of concerns by hospice patients and their identification by nurses

This study explored the disclosure of concerns by hospice patients that were elicited and registered by nurses. It was found that many concerns remained hidden. One of the reasons was that staff may use distancing techniques to avoid the consequences of talking and getting too close to the person’s suffering and to ensure their own emotional survival

Heaven C. Maguire P. (1997) Disclosure of concerns by hospice patients and their identification by nurses Palliative Medicine July 1997

Read the abstract on the Palliative Medicine website (accessed 11/05/2011)

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Communication skills training and clinicians’ defences in oncology: an exploratory, controlled study

Case control study evaluated clinicians’ defence mechanisms and their possible modification after communication skills training. The study found that clinicians used a high number and a wide range of defence mechanisms including displacement, intellectualisation and rationalisation. The impact of training on defence mechanisms was inconclusive.

Bernard M, de Roteny, Despland J and Stiefel F. 2009. Communication skills training and clinicians’ defences in oncology: an exploratory, controlled study Psycho-Oncology 19: 209–215 (2010)

Read the abstract on the Wiley website (accessed 11/05/2011)

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Exploring preferences for place of death with terminally ill patients: qualitative study of experiences of general practitioners and community nurses in England

A qualitative study indicating that staff may deflect discussions about death, finding it difficult to initiate discussions about preferred place of death unless the patient broached the subject or led the discussions.

Munday D (2009) Exploring preferences for place of death with terminally ill patients: qualitative study of experiences of general practitioners and community nurses in England British Medical Journal;338;b2391

Read the abstract on the BMJ website (accessed 11/05/2011)