Senior Lecturer and PhD candidate Claudia Virdun speaks about her work around what patients and families really want when dying in acute care in this podcast. Listen to this story of one of our consumers whose husband died of early onset dementia: Think Health: Dealing with death
Death is often a private and personal experience, and it can be exceptionally difficult to confront when it’s prolonged by years of suffering. However, Claudia Virdun’s research on end-of life care investigates how to enable optimal palliative care within a hospital environment.
“We all live with different needs, this is the same for when we approach death,” she says, “by tailoring care to a patient’s individual needs we allow them to live as well as possible despite their circumstances.”
The research explores the most important elements of care for people requiring palliative care within a hospital environment. A systematic review of previous studies showed that an adequate environment for care and family involvement in care provision are crucial to the emotional and physical comfort of the patient.
The research also highlighted the importance of ensuring that patients maintained a sense of identity enabled by patient choice at the end of life, effective communication and shared decision-making. The findings revealed that goal setting and caring communication can allow for terminally ill patients to achieve life goals and enjoy their final weeks, months or years.
“Patients described the positive impact of community based hospitals in preference to tertiary hospital, which was attributed to a nicer atmosphere, feeling closer to home, and an increased feeling of safety.”
The next stage of the research involves talking with patients and families about how to measure their care experience and outcomes. This knowledge will inform innovation and change required to provide the best and most comfortable experience for the patient and their family.