scholarly journals The hospice as a learning environment: A follow-up study of a death education intervention that involved high-school students and the community

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines Testoni ◽  
Fabio Vito Sblano ◽  
Lorenza Palazzo ◽  
Sara Pompele ◽  
Michael Alexander Wieser
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
High School Students ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Education Intervention ◽  
Death Education ◽  
Follow Up Study ◽  
Education Initiative

Abstract Background The theme of death in Western society has been removed from everyday life and replaced with specialized medical language. Such censorship does not reduce the fear of death, especially among young people, and it limits the possibility to elaborate on experiences linked to death, generating negative effects, especially in cases of traumatic grief. The objective of this follow-up study was to detect how and if experiences of death education changed the relationship between the community and a local hospice. Furthermore, it was stressed the theme of representation of death, in order to see whether participants were able to remind any possible attitude change following the project. Finally, it was analysed how they considered how they remembered the effect of the elaboration of the trauma caused by the suicide of a student. Methods This was a qualitative research study based on semi-structured interviews with palliative care professionals and teachers of students who had taken part in a death education intervention 3 years earlier. The interviews were examined through thematic analysis. Results The results confirmed the efficacy of the death education intervention initiated 3 years earlier. The education initiative contributed to modifying the students’ and teachers’ perspectives of end-of-life professionals and their understanding of the structures within which palliative care is implemented. It also modified the participants’ perspectives on the representation of death and promoted a new outlook on life. The hospice staff also perceived a change in the attitudes of the community, and this change had a positive impact on their everyday work. Conclusions This study confirmed the usefulness of creating continuity between a hospice and the community through a school education initiative. The death education project provided an educational space in which it was possible to elaborate on experiences linked to death and to re-evaluate and appreciate the structures of end-of-life care and the professionals who work in the area. Keywords: Hospice, Palliative care, Death education, Adolescents, Suicide.

scholarly journals The hospice as a learning environment: A follow-up study of a death education intervention that involved high-school students and the community

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines Testoni ◽  
Fabio Vito Sblano ◽  
Lorenza Palazzo ◽  
Sara Pompele ◽  
Michael Alexander Wieser
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
High School Students ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Education Intervention ◽  
Death Education ◽  
Follow Up Study ◽  
Education Initiative

Abstract Background The theme of death in Western society has been removed from everyday life and replaced with specialized medical language. Such censorship does not reduce the fear of death, especially among young people, and it limits the possibility to elaborate on experiences linked to death, generating negative effects, especially in cases of traumatic grief. The objective of this follow-up study was to detect how and if experiences of death education changed the relationship between the community and a local hospice in relation to the theme of death and to the elaboration and management of suicide. Methods This was a qualitative research study based on semi-structured interviews with palliative care professionals and teachers of students who had taken part in a death education intervention 3 years earlier. The interviews were examined through thematic analysis. Results The results confirmed the efficacy of the death education intervention initiated 3 years earlier. The education initiative contributed to modifying the students’ and teachers’ perspectives of end-of-life professionals and their understanding of the structures within which palliative care is implemented. It also modified the participants’ perspectives on the representation of death and promoted a new outlook on life. The hospice staff also perceived a change in the attitudes of the community, and this change had a positive impact on their everyday work. Conclusions This study confirmed the usefulness of creating continuity between a hospice and the community through a school education initiative. The death education project provided an educational space in which it was possible to elaborate on experiences linked to death and to re-evaluate and appreciate the structures of end-of-life care and the professionals who work in the area. Keywords: Hospice, Palliative care, Death education, Adolescents, Suicide.

scholarly journals The Hospice as a Learning Environment: A Follow-Up Study with a Palliative Care Team

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (20) ◽  
pp. 7460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines Testoni ◽  
Vito Fabio Sblano ◽  
Lorenza Palazzo ◽  
Sara Pompele ◽  
Michael Alexander Wieser
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Death Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Community Attitudes ◽  
Medical Language ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Education Initiative

In Western society, the topic of death has been removed from everyday life and replaced with medical language. Such censorship does not reduce individuals’ fear of death, but rather limits their ability to elaborate their experiences of death, thus generating negative effects. The objective of this follow-up qualitative study was to detect how and if death education can help to improve individuals’ relationship with death and enhance care environments like hospices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with palliative care professionals and teachers who had taken part in a death education initiative three years earlier. The results confirmed the initiative’s positive effect on both palliative care professionals and teachers. The participants reported that the education initiative helped them to positively modify their perspective on death, end-of-life care, and their own relationship to life, as well as their perception of community attitudes towards the hospice, which seemed to become less discriminatory. This study confirmed that school education initiatives can usefully create continuity between hospices and local communities. This project provided an educational space wherein it was possible for participants to elaborate their experiences in relation to death and to re-evaluate and appreciate hospices.

scholarly journals The hospice as a learning environment: A follow-up, qualitative study with palliative care professionals and school teachers involved in a previous death education intervention

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines Testoni ◽  
Fabio Vito Sblano ◽  
Lorenza Palazzo ◽  
Sara Pompele ◽  
Michael Alexander Wieser
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Education Intervention ◽  
Death Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Community Attitudes ◽  
Qualitative Research Study

Abstract Background: In Western society, discussions about death have shifted from the domain of the everyday to the domain of medicine. Such censorship does not reduce the fear of death; rather, it deprives people of the means to elaborate their experiences of death, generating negative effects such as difficult mourning and stigmatisation of palliative care environments. The objective of this follow-up study was to detect whether and how death education can help to improve individuals’ relationship with death. Methods: This was a qualitative research study based on grounded theory. We conducted semi-structured interviews with both palliative care professionals and teachers who had taken part in a death education intervention three years earlier. The interviews were interpreted through thematic analysis. Results: The results confirmed death education’s positive effect for both palliative care professionals and teachers. These individuals reported that the education initiative helped them to positively modify their perspectives on death and dying, as well as their attitudes towards life. It also helped to improve community attitudes towards the hospice and its workers. Conclusions: This study confirmed that school education initiatives can create continuity between hospices and local communities. The death education project provided an educational space in which it was possible to elaborate experiences linked to death and to re-evaluate and appreciate hospices and their staff.

scholarly journals The hospice as a learning environment: A follow-up, qualitative study with palliative care professionals and school teachers involved in a previous death education intervention

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines Testoni ◽  
Fabio Vito Sblano ◽  
Lorenza Palazzo ◽  
Sara Pompele ◽  
Michael Alexander Wieser
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Education Intervention ◽  
Death Education ◽  
School Teachers

Abstract The authors have withdrawn this preprint due to author disagreement.

scholarly journals The hospice as a learning space: a death education intervention with a group of adolescents

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines Testoni ◽  
Lorenza Palazzo ◽  
Lucia Ronconi ◽  
Stefania Donna ◽  
Paolo Francesco Cottone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Education Intervention ◽  
Death Education ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
School Students ◽  
Learning Space ◽  
Experimental Group

Abstract Background The denial of death in Western society deprives young people of the tools to derive meaning from experiences of death and dying. Literature shows that death education may allow them to become familiar with this topic without causing negative effects. This article describes the effects of a death education course with adolescents, wherein participants were given the opportunity to meet palliative doctors and palliative psychologists at school and in a hospice, where they were able to converse with the families of the dying. Methods This study used mixed methods and included an evaluation of a death education intervention with longitudinal follow-up of outcomes. The course involved 87 secondary school students (experimental group) aged between 16 and 20 years. We also recruited a control group of 76 similarly-aged students to observe differences. The variables we examined were: alexithymia, representation of death, value attributed to life and spirituality. These were measured with the following instruments: the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, the Testoni Death Representation Scale, the Personal Meaning Profile and the Spiritual Orientation Inventory, respectively. To better understand how the students perceived the experience, we asked the experimental group to answer some open-ended questions. Their answers were analysed through thematic analysis. Results The study showed that death education and the hospice experience did not produce negative effects, but rather allowed students to decrease alexithymia, improving their ability to recognise and express emotions. Thematic analysis revealed that all participants perceived the experience as very positive. Conclusions Our findings affirm that death education programs can be successfully implemented in high schools, and that they can usefully involve local hospices and palliative care professionals, especially physicians and psychologists.

Easing of Suffering in Children With Cancer at the End of Life: Is Care Changing?

2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 1717-1723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Wolfe ◽  
Jim F. Hammel ◽  
Kelly E. Edwards ◽  
Janet Duncan ◽  
Michael Comeau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Symptom Control ◽  
Palliative Care Service ◽  
Do Not Resuscitate ◽  
Children With Cancer ◽  
Adjusted Risk

Purpose In the past decade studies have documented substantial suffering among children dying of cancer, prompting national attention on the quality of end-of-life care and the development of a palliative care service in our institutions. We sought to determine whether national and local efforts have led to changes in patterns of care, advanced care planning, and symptom control among children with cancer at the end of life. Methods Retrospective cohort study from a US tertiary level pediatric institution. Parent survey and chart review data from 119 children who died between 1997 and 2004 (follow-up cohort) were compared with 102 children who died between 1990 and 1997 (baseline cohort). Results In the follow-up cohort, hospice discussions occurred more often (76% v 54%; adjusted risk difference [RD], 22%; P < .001) and earlier (adjusted geometric mean 52 days v 28 days before death; P = .002) compared with the baseline cohort. Do-not-resuscitate orders were also documented earlier (18 v 12 days; P = .031). Deaths in the intensive care unit or other hospitals decreased significantly (RD, 16%; P = .024). Parents reported less child suffering from pain (RD, 19%; P = .018) and dyspnea (RD, 21%; P = .020). A larger proportion of parents felt more prepared during the child's last month of life (RD, 29%; P < .001) and at the time of death (RD, 24%; P = .002). Conclusion Children dying of cancer are currently receiving care that is more consistent with optimal palliative care and according to parents, are experiencing less suffering. With ongoing growth of the field of hospice and palliative medicine, further advancements are likely.

Retrospective review of end-of-life care in the last month of life in older patients with multiple myeloma: what collaboration between haematologists and palliative care teams?

2020 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2020-002293
Author(s):  
Thomas Chalopin ◽  
Nicolas Vallet ◽  
Lotfi Benboubker ◽  
Marlène Ochmann ◽  
Emmanuel Gyan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Palliative Care Teams ◽  
Care Family ◽  
Eol Care

ObjectivesPatients with haematological malignancies (HM) receive more aggressive treatments near the end-of-life (EOL) than patients with solid tumours. Palliative care (PC) needs are less widely acknowledged in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) than in other HM. The main objective of our study was to describe EOL care and PC referral in a population of older patients with MM.MethodsWe retrospectively included deceased inpatients and outpatients with an MM previously diagnosed at the age of 70 and over in two tertiary centres in France. We reported EOL characteristics regarding treatments considered to be aggressive—antimyeloma therapies, hospitalisations, blood product transfusions, intensive care units (ICUs) or emergency admissions—and PC referral.ResultsWe included 119 patients. In their last month of life, 75 (63%) were hospitalised for fever, pain, asthenia, anaemia or bleeding, 49 (41%) were admitted in the emergency department and 12 (10%) in ICU, 76 (64%) still received antimyeloma therapy and 45 (38%) had at least two transfusions. Only 24 (20%) received PC intervention for pain, global care, family support, anxiety, social care or confusion. Median follow-up until death was 20 days.ConclusionsOur study found a high rate of hospitalisations and antimyeloma therapies in the last month of life. The PC referral rate was low, often once specific treatments were stopped. Our results suggest the need for more effective collaboration between PC teams and haematologists in order to respond to the specific needs of these patients and to improve their quality of care at EOL.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document