Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T19:01:06.863Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Meeting the family: Measuring effectiveness of family meetings in a specialist inpatient palliative care unit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2012

Breffni Hannon ,
Valerie O'Reilly ,
Kathleen Bennett ,
Karen Breen  and
Peter G. Lawlor
Breffni Hannon*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Valerie O'Reilly
Affiliation:
Department of Palliative Medicine, Our Lady's Hospice, Harold's Cross, Dublin, Ireland
Kathleen Bennett
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
Karen Breen
Affiliation:
Department of Palliative Medicine, Our Lady's Hospice, Harold's Cross, Dublin, Ireland
Peter G. Lawlor
Affiliation:
Division of Palliative Care, University of Ottawa and Palliative Care Unit, Bruyere Continuing Care, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Breffni Hannon, Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Princess Margaret Hospital, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2M9, Canada. E-mail: breffni.hannon@uhn.ca
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of palliative care as “an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness …” recognizes the importance of family members in this setting. In practice, family meetings account for a significant amount of the weekly workload in a specialist inpatient palliative care unit. Despite this, there is little empirical evidence to support the benefits of family meetings from the perspective of family members.

Method:

A prospective study over 6 months, invited a designated family member to complete a self-report instrument (SRI) and the Family Inventory of Needs (FIN) questionnaire prior to, immediately following, and 48 hours after a planned family meeting attended by several members of the multidisciplinary team.

Results:

Thirty-one designated family members completed the study. The SRIs completed prior to a family meeting identified particular areas of concern and worry for family members, and also helped to generate an agenda based on the family's particular needs. The pre-meeting FIN identified areas of patient care of greatest importance to each family member, and asked them to rate whether particular care needs were presently met or unmet, in their opinion, by the healthcare team caring for the patient. Following the family meeting, repeat SRIs showed an overall reduction in concerns and increased confidence in dealing with those issues raised. Post-family meeting FIN scores confirmed a greater number of met care needs compared with pre-meeting scores, all of which were sustained over time.

Significance of results:

This study confirms the value of planned multidisciplinary family meetings for patients in specialist inpatient palliative care units. It identifies the often unmet needs of family members and the sustained benefits associated with formal family meetings.

Keywords

Family meetingPalliative careSpecialist inpatient unitEffectiveness
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , March 2012 , pp. 43 - 49
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Aoun, S., Bird, S., Kristjanson, L.J., et al. (2010). Reliability testing of the FAMCARE-2 scale: measuring family carer satisfaction with palliative care. Palliative Medicine, 24, 674–681.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Christ, G.H. & Blacker, S. (2005). Improving interdisciplinary communication skills with families. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 8, 855–856.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohen Fineberg, I. (2005). Preparing professionals for family conferences in palliative care: evaluation results of an interdisciplinary approach. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 8, 857–865.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Curtis, J.R. & White, D.B. (2008). Practical guidance for evidence-based ICU family conferences. Chest, 134, 835–843.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dumont, I. & Kissane, D. (2009). Techniques for framing questions in conducting family meetings in palliative care. Palliative and Supportive Care, 7, 163–170.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gueguen, J.A., Bylund, C.L., Brown, R.F., et al. (2009). Conducting family meetings in palliative care: Themes, techniques, and preliminary evaluation of a communication skills module. Palliative and Supportive Care, 7, 171–179.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hannon, B., O'Reilly, V., Bennett, K., et al. (2010). Family meetings in a specialist palliative care unit: Are they effective? EAPC 2010 Abstracts: Oral, Plenaries and Invited Lectures. Palliative Medicine, 24, S5–S239.Google Scholar
Hansen, P., Cornish, P. & Kayser, K. (1998). Family conferences as forums for decision making in hospital settings. Social Work Health Care, 27, 57–74.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hudson, P., Quinn, K., O'Hanlon, B., et al. (2008). Family meetings in palliative care: Multidisciplinary clinical practice guidelines. BMC Palliative Care, 7, 12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hudson, P., Thomas, T., Quinn, K., et al. (2009). Family meetings in palliative care: Are they effective? Palliative Medicine, 23, 150–157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hudson, P.L., Trauer, T., Graham, S., et al. (2010). A systematic review of instruments related to family caregivers of palliative care patients. Palliative Medicine, 24, 656–668.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kristjanson, L.J., Atwood, J. & Degner, L.F. (1995). Validity and reliability of the Family Inventory of Needs (FIN): Measuring the care needs of families of advanced cancer patients. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 3, 109–126.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
WHO. (2002). National Cancer Control Programmes: Policies and Managerial Guidelines, 2nd ed.Geneva: World Health Organization.Google Scholar
Yennurajalingam, S., Dev, R., Lockey, M., et al. (2008). Characteristics of family conferences in a palliative care unit at a comprehensive cancer center. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 11, 1208–1211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar