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Talking to patients about death and dying
Teresa A Burgess1, Mary Brooksbank, Justin J Beilby
1Evaluation Unit, Department of General Practice, University of Adelaide, South Australia. teresa.burgess@adelaide.edu.au
Australian Family Physician
|March 3, 2004
Summary
General practitioners need more support and education for discussing death and dying with patients. A new booklet offers practical guidelines to help initiate these sensitive conversations and access palliative care resources.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Palliative Care
- General Practice
Background:
- Discussing death and dying poses challenges for general practitioners (GPs) in Australia.
- Limited Australian research and educational resources exist for GPs in this critical area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the needs of GPs regarding end-of-life discussions.
- To develop practical resources to support GPs in managing conversations about death and dying.
Main Methods:
- Conducted two focus groups with GPs.
- Performed interviews with GPs.
- Held a final consultation with palliative care experts and GPs.
Main Results:
- GPs require enhanced support and education for discussing death and dying, distinct from Advance Health Care Directives.
- GPs expressed a need for training in initiating conversations, asking pertinent questions, and accessing services.
- Emphasis was placed on utilizing palliative care for spiritual and physical support, with specific concerns for Indigenous and culturally diverse patients.
Conclusions:
- A practical booklet was developed to provide GPs with guidelines for end-of-life discussions.
- The booklet aims to support GPs in initiating and navigating conversations about death and dying.
- Advance Health Care Directives are viewed by GPs as tools to facilitate, not dictate, end-of-life conversations.