Caring for carers of people with advanced cancer at hospital discharge (CARENET): A single-arm open label feasibility trial.

Objectives: Carers are critical to support discharge home from hospital at end of life yet remain under-represented in health service initiatives to assist this transition. A carer-focused intervention embedded into practice may facilitate hospital discharge. This open-labeled, single-arm phase 2 study aimed to determine the feasibility of (1) delivering a multi-staged intervention (CARENET) to carers of advanced cancer patients in a hospital setting and (2) the study design to inform a phase 3 trial.

Estimating potential palliative care needs for residential aged care: A population-based retrospective cohort study.

Objective: Population-based data on the required needs for palliative care in residential aged care have been highlighted as a key information gap. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive estimate of palliative care needs among Australia's residential aged care population using a validated algorithm based on causes of death.

Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the Registry of Senior Australians of non-Indigenous residents of residential aged care services in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia aged older than 65 years, who died between 2016 and 2017 (n = 71,677).

Occupational adaptation for adults living with advanced cancer: A phenomenological longitudinal study.

Introduction: People living with advanced cancer want to continue participating in their valued occupations amid cancer progression. However, increasing dependence and bodily deterioration challenge a person's ability to do so, thus requiring adaptation to how they engage in their occupations. Theoretical frameworks on the process of occupational adaptation often do not address the implications of progressive functional decline.

International consensus on occupational therapy interventions for people with palliative care needs: A European Association for Palliative Care Group Concept Mapping study.

Background: While evidence shows that occupational therapists can play a key role in the care of people with palliative care needs, more knowledge about effective occupational therapy interventions for this group is needed.

Aim: To identify, organise and prioritise intervention components considered to be effective within occupational therapy for people with palliative care needs from the perspective of occupational therapy clinicians, managers and researchers.

Design: Group Concept Mapping utilising a mixed methods participatory approach.

Experience and acceptability of a carer-focussed intervention in acute oncology settings: A qualitative study of people with advanced cancer and their carers.

Objectives: Providing optimal support for carers of people with advanced cancer is critical to facilitating discharge home from hospital. Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool-Intervention (CSNAT-I) has shown promise in supporting carers' needs in this context. This study aimed to explore patient and carers experiences with and views on the acceptability of the CSNAT-I delivered by occupational therapists in an acute oncology setting.

Serious health-related suffering experienced by children with disability and their families living in Bangladesh: A scoping review.

Background: In 2020, the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care redefined palliative care to incorporate the concept of serious health-related suffering. An estimated 21 million children globally live with conditions which would benefit from a palliative approach to relieve suffering. Bangladesh is a lower-middle income country with isolated provision of palliative care.

Health and disability care providers' experiences and perspectives on end-of-life care needs of individuals with long-standing physical disability: A qualitative interview study.

Background: Little is known about the specific needs and experiences of individuals with long-standing physical disability at end of life.

Aim: To explore health and disability care providers perspectives and experiences in relation to end-of-life care needs of individuals with long-standing physical disability.

Design: Qualitative study using reflexive thematic analysis.

Supporting Carers as Patients Move between Hospital and Home: A Systematic Review of Interventions to Support These Transitions in Care.

Hospital-to-home transitions become more frequent and complex as people approach end of life. Although carers are critical to enabling these transitions, they report high levels of unmet need. A review of the interventions to assist these care transitions, along with understanding those intervention components and mechanisms that support carers of people with advanced illness, is required to inform an optimal care model for palliative care practice.

Managing multimorbidity: a qualitative study of the Australian general practitioner experience.

Background: Multimorbidity is prevalent in general practice and general practitioners internationally report challenges in its management. Understanding the perspectives of general practitioners at the frontline of care is important for system sustainability and accessibility as populations age.

Objective: To explore Australian general practitioner perspectives on managing multimorbidity, the factors supporting their work, and those impeding their ability to meet their own standards of care provision.

The Complexities of Prescribing Assistive Equipment at the End of Life-Patient and Caregivers' Perspectives.

Ongoing participation in valued and essential everyday activities remains a priority for people with advanced disease. This study sought to understand factors influencing patients with advanced disease and caregivers' utilisation of assistive equipment that enable this participation. Employing a pragmatic approach, purposive sampling identified participants who were interviewed in their homes.

Contemporary occupational priorities at the end of life mapped against Model of Human Occupation constructs: A scoping review.

Introduction: People with end-of-life care needs are seen in an increasingly diverse range of health and community settings. Opportunity for continued occupational participation is highly valued by people at the end of life. This scoping review sought to identify the priorities and preferences for participation at the end of life and to map findings using the model of human occupation.

Corrigendum to: Multimorbidity through the lens of life-limiting illness: how helpful are Australian clinical practice guidelines to its management in primary care?

This study assessed Australian clinical practice guidelines for life-limiting index conditions for the extent to which they acknowledged comorbidities and framed management recommendations within the context of older age and reduced life expectancy. A comprehensive search identified current, evidence-based Australian guidelines for chronic life-limiting conditions directed at general practitioners. Guideline content was analysed qualitatively before comorbidity acknowledgements were quantified using a 17-item checklist.

Activities Forgone because of Chronic Breathlessness: A Cross-Sectional Population Prevalence Study.

Chronic breathlessness is a prevalent disabling syndrome affecting many people for years. Identifying the impact of chronic breathlessness on people's activities in the general population is pivotal for designing symptom management strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the association between chronic breathlessness and activities respondents identify can no longer be undertaken ("activities forgone").

Conserving dignity and facilitating adaptation to dependency with intimate hygiene for people with advanced disease: A qualitative study.

Background: People at the end of life experience increased dependence with self-care as disease progresses, including care with intimate hygiene. Dependence with intimate hygiene has been identified as a factor that may compromise dignity at the end of life. However, adaption to increased dependency and subsequent impact on dignity with intimate hygiene is an under-researched area.

"It's given me confidence": a pragmatic qualitative evaluation exploring the perceived benefits of online end-of-life education on clinical care.

Background: Hospital admissions for end-of-life care are increasing exponentially across the world. Significant numbers of health professionals are now required to provide end-of-life care with minimal training. Many health professionals report they lack confidence to provide this care, particularly those in acute hospital settings.

Multimorbidity through the lens of life-limiting illness: how helpful are Australian clinical practice guidelines to its management in primary care?

This study assessed Australian clinical practice guidelines for life-limiting index conditions for the extent to which they acknowledged comorbidities and framed management recommendations within the context of older age and reduced life expectancy. A comprehensive search identified current, evidence-based Australian guidelines for chronic life-limiting conditions directed at general practitioners. Guideline content was analysed qualitatively before comorbidity acknowledgements were quantified using a 17-item checklist.

Bolstering General Practitioner Palliative Care: A Critical Review of Support Provided by Australian Guidelines for Life-Limiting Chronic Conditions.

General practitioners (GPs) are increasingly expected to provide palliative care as ageing populations put pressure on specialist services. Some GPs, however, cite barriers to providing this care including prognostication challenges and lack of confidence. Palliative care content within clinical practice guidelines might serve as an opportunistic source of informational support to GPs.

The Development of the Australian National Palliative Care Clinical Studies Collaborative "Integrating Qualitative Research into Clinical Trials Framework".

Qualitative methodologies have multiple contributions to health research, including improving baseline understanding in new areas of enquiry; questioning existing assumptions; understanding viewpoints of specific subgroups; and offering complex, contextual information. While the role of qualitative research within mixed methods approaches is well documented, the contribution to clinical trial design and conduct is less well recognized. The Australian Palliative Care Clinical Studies Collaborative and Cancer Symptom Trials have developed a framework to detail how qualitative research might contribute to each key aspect of clinical trials.

Evaluation of an End-of-Life Essentials Online Education Module on Chronic Complex Illness End-of-Life Care.

Chronic complex illness/multimorbidity is a leading cause of death worldwide. Many people with chronic complex illnesses die in hospital, with the overall quality of end-of-life care requiring substantial improvement, necessitating an increase in the knowledge of the health professionals caring for them. End-of-Life-Essentials (EOLE) offers online education modules for health professionals working in acute hospitals, including one on chronic complex illness.

General practitioner strategies for managing patients with multimorbidity: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research.

Background: General practitioners (GPs) increasingly manage patients with multimorbidity but report challenges in doing so. Patients describe poor experiences with health care systems that treat each of their health conditions separately, resulting in fragmented, uncoordinated care. For GPs to provide the patient-centred, coordinated care patients need and want, research agendas and health system structures and policies will need to adapt to address this epidemiologic transition.

Patterns of Religiosity, Death Anxiety, and Hope in a Population of Community-Dwelling Palliative Care Patients in New Zealand-What Gives Hope If Religion Can't?

This study examines the prevalence of religiosity, death anxiety, and hope in a sample of New Zealand community hospice patients in the last 6 months of life. It explores the factors triggering distress or hope and examines whether religiosity is protective against death anxiety for this population. Early studies showed religious faith helps relieve death anxiety, but later work suggests this may only be the case in societies which are generally religious.

The Changing Nature of Palliative Care: Implications for Allied Health Professionals' Educational and Training Needs.

CareSearch is an Australian Government Department of Health funded repository of evidence-based palliative care information and resources. The CareSearch Allied Health Hub was developed in 2013 to support all allied health professionals working with palliative care clients in all clinical settings. This cross-sectional online survey sought to elicit allied health professionals palliative care experiences and subsequent considerations for educational and clinical practice needs.