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Global Advances in End-of-Life Care

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Care Sciences & Services".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (22 May 2023) | Viewed by 4978

Special Issue Editor

Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Brighton, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK
Interests: hospital ethnography; socio-cultural aspects of communicable and non-communicable diseases; death dying and end of life; refugee health; role of art in heath interventions; health policy and health systems in low income countries and medical history

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Around the world, there is growing interest in the manner in which care is delivered to people at the end of life. This includes the ways in which it varies in different cultures and resource settings, the part played by health and social care services, the contribution of families and communities, and the role of civil society and third sector organisations. End-of-life care has begun to take on the hallmarks of a field in its own right, with a particular set of expertise and an emerging body of knowledge and theory. There are many complexities involved in the challenges of providing appropriate care at the end of life across so many unique circumstances and contexts. Therefore, how we die, what constitutes a ‘good death’, and the appropriate societal responses to the issue of delivering culturally relevant and sustainable forms of end-of-life care in different settings are not subjects of broad agreement. Rather, they can be seen as a ‘contested space’, where ideas, policies, practices and professions compete to define clear solutions. This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the current frontier of end-of-life care globally, with a particular focus on the global south.

Prof. Dr. Shahaduz Zaman
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • end of life care
  • palliative care
  • death and dying
  • good death
  • hospice

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 318 KiB  
Article
Japanese Local Governments’ Dissemination Activities for Advance Care Planning: A Descriptive Analysis of a Nationwide Survey during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Noriko Morioka, Masayo Kashiwagi, Ako Machida, Kyoko Hanari, Takehiro Sugiyama, Ryota Inokuchi and Nanako Tamiya
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5408; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075408 - 05 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1607
Abstract
This study aims to compare the awareness-raising activities between municipalities with and without focused anti-infection measures during the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Descriptive analysis was conducted using a nationwide self-administered questionnaire survey on municipalities’ activities for residents and for healthcare providers and [...] Read more.
This study aims to compare the awareness-raising activities between municipalities with and without focused anti-infection measures during the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Descriptive analysis was conducted using a nationwide self-administered questionnaire survey on municipalities’ activities for residents and for healthcare providers and care workers (HCPs) in October 2022 in Japan. This study included 433 municipalities that had conducted awareness-raising activities before 2019 Fiscal Year. Workshops for residents were conducted in 85.2% of the municipalities, and they were more likely to be conducted in areas with focused anti-infection measures than those without measures (86.8% vs. 75.4%). Additionally, 85.9% of the municipalities were impacted by the pandemic; 50.1% canceled workshops, while 26.0% switched to a web-based style. Activities for HCPs were conducted in 55.2–63.7% of the municipalities, and they were more likely to be conducted in areas with focused anti-infection measures. A total of 50.6–62.1% of the municipalities changed their workshops for HCPs to a web-based style. Comparisons between areas with and without focused anti-infection measures indicated that the percentages of those impacted for all activities were not significantly different. In conclusion, awareness-raising activities in municipalities were conducted with new methods during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using information technology is essential to further promote such activities for residents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Advances in End-of-Life Care)
9 pages, 330 KiB  
Article
Standardized High-Quality Processes for End-of-Life-Decision Making in the Intensive Care Unit Remain Robust during an Unprecedented New Pandemic—A Single-Center Experience
by Fanny Marsch, Claudia D. Spies, Roland C. E. Francis and Jan A. Graw
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 15015; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192215015 - 15 Nov 2022
Viewed by 902
Abstract
Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, a concomitant increase in awareness for end-of-life decisions (EOLDs) and advance care planning has been noted. Whether the dynamic pandemic situation impacted EOLD-processes on the intensive care unit (ICU) and patient-sided advance care planning in Germany is [...] Read more.
Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, a concomitant increase in awareness for end-of-life decisions (EOLDs) and advance care planning has been noted. Whether the dynamic pandemic situation impacted EOLD-processes on the intensive care unit (ICU) and patient-sided advance care planning in Germany is unknown. This is a retrospective analysis of all deceased patients of surgical ICUs of a university medical center from March 2020 to July 2021. All included ICUs had established standardized protocols and documentation for EOLD-related aspects of ICU therapy. The frequency of EOLDs and advance directives and the process of EOLDs were analyzed (No. of ethical approval EA2/308/20). A total number of 319 (85.5%) of all deceased patients received an EOLD. Advance directives were possessed by 83 (22.3%) of the patients and a precautionary power of attorney by 92 (24.7%) of the patients. There was no difference in the frequency of EOLDs and patient-sided advance care planning between patients with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. In addition, no differences in frequencies of do-not-resuscitate orders, withholding or withdrawing of intensive care medicine therapeutic approaches, timing of EOLDs, and participation of senior ICU attendings in EOLDs were noted between patients with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. Documentation of family conferences occurred more often in deceased patients with COVID-19 compared to non-COVID-19 patients (COVID-19: 80.0% vs. non-COVID-19: 56.8, p = 0.001). Frequency of EOLDs and completion rates of advance directives remained unchanged during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic years. The EOLD process did not differ between patients with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. Institutional standard procedures might contribute to support the robustness of EOLD-making processes during unprecedented medical emergencies, such as new pandemic diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Advances in End-of-Life Care)
14 pages, 528 KiB  
Article
Palliative Care Needs Assessment in the Population Living in Mayotte: SPMAYOTTE, a Qualitative Study Conducted with 62 Patients, Caregivers and Healthcare Professionals
by Raphaël Benoist, Philippe Walker, Karine Allain-Baco and Régis Aubry
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(6), 3540; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063540 - 16 Mar 2022
Viewed by 1757
Abstract
Background/Aim: Mayotte is a French island in the Indian Ocean. There is no palliative care structure in this territory. The island and its population have specific characteristics: insularity, poverty, coexistence of modern and traditional medicine, importance of religion (Islam) and the presence of [...] Read more.
Background/Aim: Mayotte is a French island in the Indian Ocean. There is no palliative care structure in this territory. The island and its population have specific characteristics: insularity, poverty, coexistence of modern and traditional medicine, importance of religion (Islam) and the presence of many foreigners without health insurance. The aim of this study is to determine the palliative care needs of the Mayotte population and propose the establishment of an appropriate service. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in Mayotte using interviews with patients and their caregivers, and focus groups were conducted with healthcare professionals involved in their care. Patients requiring palliative care were identified and recruited from the hospital or the patient’s home by healthcare professionals. Results: A total of 62 people participated in the study between May and June 2019. The needs expressed were analysed and then grouped into categories: access to medical care (especially at home), management of physical symptoms (analgesia) and psychological symptoms, organisation of care (coordination between healthcare professionals) and training of healthcare professionals (pain management, palliative care, interculturality and translation), taking into account cultural and religious aspects. Regarding the foreign population, the categories were: improving access to healthcare, access to the social protection system and daily living conditions (transport, food and accommodation). Conclusions: The specific needs of the population, assessed through the study, have led to an original proposal, which differs from the usual structures of palliative care in France. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Advances in End-of-Life Care)
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