This episode features Brett Scholz (Medical School, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia). Consumer involvement is required by policy at all levels of health services. Some health disciplines have well-established research programmes focusing on consumer leadership. Palliative care is philosophically consumer-centred, but there has been less of a focus on consumer leadership at the systemic level of palliative care services. The review demonstrates that consumer leadership is an emerging practice in palliative care services and academia. Despite the potential challenges of consumer leadership, consumers are motivated to be engaged with the sector. Consumers are still not as involved in setting agendas in palliative care as policies require. The review findings extend understandings of how to better support consumer leaders, suggesting palliative care service providers educated by consumer academics may be more aware of power imbalances and thus later be able to use their influence for further consumer leadership. To meet policy requirements and realise benefits brought by consumers’ perspectives, more research conducted with (rather than on) consumers in palliative care is needed. Policy requires partnerships with consumers at all stages of palliative service planning, implementation, delivery and evaluation, but does not provide a guide for best practice about how such partnerships are done without tokenism.
Full paper available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0269216319854012
If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu: anwosu@liverpool.ac.uk
This episode features Mary Scott (Ottowa Hospital Research Institute. Bruyere Research Institute). Many patients and families report improved satisfaction of care when palliative care when they are supported by palliative care specialist teams. Transitions of care from one setting to another are burdensome. Evidence suggests that palliative care can improve this transition from hospital to community support. This narrative systematic review aimed to determine whether paliative care can impact that transition from hospital to home. Fifteen articles were included. Involvement of specialist inpatient palliative care was associated with lower readmission rates, higher referral to hospice and better provision of services after discharge. Heterogenity of study designs were evident. Consequently, futher research is needed to evaluate this area further.
Full paper available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0269216319870649
If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu: anwosu@liverpool.ac.uk
Dr Amara Nwosu, MBChB (Commendation), MRCP, PhD
Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Academic Palliative & End of Life Care Department, Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer, Palliative Care Institute Liverpool, University of Liverpool.
Research Lead, Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool.
Research Scholars Programme, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) North West Clinical Research Network (CRN)
Technology Editor, Palliative Medicine. Sage Publications. http://pmj.sagepub.com/
Office: 0044 151 706 2274
Email: anwosu@liverpool.ac.uk
Web: www.pcil.org.uk
http://www.amaranwosu.com/
Twitter: @amaranwosu
AmiPal Palliative care podcast: https://soundcloud.com/mypal