General

An electronic survey was used to assess the views of a diverse nationwide cohort of health care professionals regarding advance care planning and end-of-life care. A total of 645 responses were received. If diagnosed with a serious incurable illness with limited life expectancy, 97% would want to discuss their prognosis, 74% would refuse cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and 72% favored supportive/comfort care to more aggressive life-prolonging treatments. However, prognosis was thought to be discussed with only 52% of such patients, and just 5% thought doctors were either very or extremely successful at explaining advanced life-sustaining treatments to patients...

OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to clarify our understanding of fear and explore the strategies employed by people with life-limiting conditions and their caregivers in addressing the emotion of fear as they journey through the dying process. The role of fear is discussed: different kinds of fear, the tangible and intangible measures by which people manage their fear, and the ways of transcending fear. METHOD: The findings of a larger research project funded by the Australian Department of Health and Ageing are drawn upon...

BACKGROUND: Substantial agreement has been achieved on research priorities in palliative care over the past 15 years, as evidenced by consensus conferences and systematic reviews. Despite the presence of a widely endorsed research agenda, however, addressing the gaps in scientific knowledge has progressed slowly, suggesting that researchers face significant obstacles to conducting high-quality research on the most pressing topics in the field. OBJECTIVE: To systematically identify barriers to improved and expanded palliative care research as reported by researchers...

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