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Palliative Medicine
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Article

Professionals delivering palliative care to people with COPD: qualitative study

A Spence1, F Hasson2*, M Waldron2, WG Kernohan2, D McLaughlin3, B Watson3, B Cochrane3, and AM Marley4

1 Northern Ireland Hospice Care, Northern Ireland Hospice, Belfast
2 University of Ulster, Institute of Nursing Research and School of Nursing, Shore Road, Newtownabbey
3 Northern Ireland Hospice Care, Belfast
4 Belfast Trust and Social Care Trust, Fairview House Mater Hospital, Belfast

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.


  Abstract

This article describes health and social care professionals' perceptions of palliative care and facilitators and barriers to the delivery of such care for patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Health professionals participated in semi structured interviews and focus groups which were analysed using content analysis. According to participants, care of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is focused upon the management of symptoms, with emphasis focused predominately on an acute model of care. Key barriers towards the delivery of palliative care included the reluctance to negotiatie end-of-life decisions and a perceived lack of understanding among patients and carers regarding the illness trajectory. Consequently the delivery of palliative care was viewed as a specialist role rather than an integral component of care. There is a need for education and training for health and social care professions to plan and provide high quality end-of-life care.

Key Words: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, health professional, palliative care, qualitative research

First published on October 30, 2008, doi:10.1177/0269216308098804

Palliative Medicine 2009;23:126.

A more recent version of this article appeared on March 1, 2009

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