Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-90).

Thesis (MSW(Social Work))-University of Pretoria, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration and Dept. of Sociology. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2005. / "A dissertation in public affairs and administration and sociology." Advisor: Robert D. Herman. Typescript. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed June 23, 2006. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 194-204 ). Online version of the print edition.

Research paper (M.A.(Applied))--Victoria University of Wellington, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this descriptive study is to investigate the perception of practice of health care professionals at a mental institution, as it pertains to their work with dying patients, and also to identify areas of change. The conceptual framework is constructed of six factors important to palliative care that have been identified from the literature. These are personal death anxiety, organizational structure of the hospital system, role expectations of professionals, teamwork, education and training for care of the dying, and conveyance and exchange of diagnostic information. The sample surveyed by a written questionnaire included physicians, psychiatrists, health care workers, social workers and pastoral care workers from the Geriatric Division of Riverview Hospital, Port Coquitlam. The findings indicate that age, sex, marital status and length of working experience at Riverview Hospital had no significant association with personal death anxiety. Informal education such as workshops and in-services had a significant correlation with personal death anxiety, as did perception of being competent and/or confident about working with the dying. The study also raised concerns that not all was being done for the dying patients and their families at this institution. Suggestions such as education and training, support mechanisms, and less stereotyping of professional roles were offered to improve this situation. As well, findings indicated that there was a need for palliative care service either in the form of a team or separate unit, or simply the practicing of the palliative care philosophy. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Bereavement intervention is subsumed within palliative programme philosophy which encompasses the family as the unit of care and provides a continuum of care that extends beyond the death of a family member. There is no available research on the effect of post-bereavement intervention within palliative programming, and very limited research exists that evaluates the effect of intervention on bereavement outcome. This exploratory study endeavors to differentiate bereavement outcome between two populations having palliative/hospice program support but only one choosing to participate in bereavement follow-up. A mixed strategy of quantitative and grounded theory approaches provided an expanded analysis through which meaning structures and time/process parameters for grieving individuals were explored. The study extended from idiosyncratic data into the realm of larger systemic interactions. An important finding was that the amount of time for preparation for the death of a family member is crucial. Other mitigating factors influencing the grief outcome were social support, network viability, and age. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Univ., Diss.--Göttingen, 2003. / Literaturverz. S. 259 - 299.

Psychosocial support is said to be an inherent component of nursing care and a major focus of palliative care. Literature exists which outlines perceptions of the psychosocial needs of patients and how psychosocial support should be provided. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on how psychosocial support is operationalised in practice. This study provides a valuable and substantial new contribution to the evidence on the psychosocial needs expressed by patients in a hospice ward and how nurses immediately respond to these needs within their everyday practice. A study gathering data via observations with matched interviews of patients and nurses, organisational, documentary, and demographic variables, was conducted over an eight month period. Thirty-eight nurses (registered and auxiliary) and 47 patients were included in a maximum variation sampling strategy. Data was analysed using constant comparative qualitative techniques. Patients expressed a wide variety of psychosocial needs, often only signalling them whilst receiving care for other reasons. Considering these needs in relation to Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs suggests that in-patients more commonly express prerequisites to physiological care and ‘lower level’ safety needs rather than the more thoroughly researched and espoused ‘higher’ level psychosocial needs. The nurses reacted to these psychosocial needs with a range of responses which indicated a diminishing level of immediate support: ‘dealing’, ‘deferring’, ‘diverting’ and ‘ducking’. The majority of the nurses were observed using each of these responses at some point during data collection. A variety of the responses were used for each type and context of psychosocial need. These responses were influenced by the ward’s workplace culture. This study demonstrates a requirement for more thorough consideration of the true psychosocial needs of patients, which appear to vary dependent on the context of care. Consideration should be v given to workplace culture and its influence over psychosocial support, with nurses being supported to expand their response repertoire so that patients’ psychosocial needs are acknowledged more. Increasing nurses’ knowledge of the reality of psychosocial support through education and research will encourage formalisation of the place of psychosocial support in the planning, documentation and provision of care. This study shows that ward nurses can offer psychosocial support as an inherent component of their everyday work. Findings derived from this research indicate that developing an understanding of how patients express psychosocial needs in practice, through a consideration of Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs, may increase recognition and support of psychosocial needs and enable nurses to respond more comprehensively.

Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree in Masters of Technology: Nursing, Durban University of Technology, 2012. / Palliative care research in South Africa is at an early stage and there is an increasing need to develop a body of evidence that is relevant to South African conditions. One of the biggest challenges that palliative care in Africa faces is the projected increase in the number of cancer patients in the developing world by 2050, many of whom will need palliative care. There is a concern at present about the integration of oncology and palliative care services in South Africa and whether or not cancer patients are able to access quality palliative care. Palliative care plays an important role in improving quality of life for people and family members affected by life-threatening illness. It pursues its goal by relieving pain and other distressing symptoms in cancer patients and giving psychosocial support to patients and their families. It should begin at diagnosis and continue throughout treatment, follow-up care, and at the end of life in addition to the cancer treatment which is given Aim of the study The aim of this study was to assess the integration of palliative care in the caring of cancer patients in the selected oncology clinics in the eThekwini district in KZN. Methodology A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used to guide this study. The study was participative in nature and employed a focus group methodology. The participants in this study were professional nurses who were working at the selected sites in the public urban oncology clinics for more than three months. Two focus groups were conducted within one month of each other at selected oncology sites with participation from 16 oncology nurses. Findings Findings indicated that most participants understood palliative care as end of life care when a patient is beyond curative treatment and that it is often the doctor who determines eligibility. Participants also perceived palliative care in terms of different types of medical treatment. The findings indicated nurses only contacted hospices when the patient was at the last stage of their illness, were often not aware of all the hospices in the area, and acknowledged that communication between the oncology clinics and hospices was not good. Some nurses believed that palliative care is also provided in the oncology clinic and that it is not only the hospices that provide palliative care. Only one oncology nurse who participated in the study mentioned that she is trained in palliative care, but they all showed interest in becoming more knowledgeable in this area and improving relationships between oncology clinics and the palliative care team/hospices.

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