Task shifting in Dutch nursing practice: A repeated cross-sectional analysis of nurses' experiences.

AIM: This study aims firstly to identify shifts in the execution of medical tasks by nurses in the past decade. Secondly, it aims to explore nurses' perspectives on task shifting: how they think task shifting affects the quality of care, the attractiveness of nursing practice and their collaboration with physicians. DESIGN: A quantitative repeated cross-sectional study. METHODS: A nationwide survey was conducted among Dutch registered nurses (RNs) working in hospitals and home care, first in 2012 and again in 2022, with sample sizes of 359 and 362, respectively. Analyses were based on descriptive statistics and logistic and linear regressions. RESULTS: Between 2012 and 2022, there was a significant increase in the execution of only one medical task by nurses, namely prescribing over-the-counter medication. The majority reported in both years that task shifting has positive impact on their professional autonomy and the attractiveness of nursing practice. However, most nurses also reported that task shifting increased their workload (72.7% in 2022) could lead to conflicts in care teams (20.9% in 2022 compared to 14.7% in 2012) and may cause physicians to feel threatened (32.8% in 2022 and 29.9% in 2012). There were no significant changes in nurses' perception of the impact of task shifting on quality of care, the attractiveness of nursing practice and the nurse-physician relationship. CONCLUSION: There was an increase in the execution of prescribing over-the-counter-medication by nurses between 2012 and 2022. However, both in 2012 and in 2022, as the majority of nurses reported that task shifting increased their workload, there is reason to worry about this negative consequence of task shifting, e.g. with regard to labour market issues. Further research, also among the medical profession, is needed to better understand and address the implications of task shifting for the nursing profession. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION: Implications for the nursing profession include potential scope expansion with complex tasks, attracting more individuals to nursing careers, although an eye must also be kept on what that means for the workload of nurses and the relationship with physicians. IMPACT: Nurse prescribing medicines was more executed in 2022 compared to 2012. Nurses had a predominantly positive perspective on task shifting, but still felt it can cause conflicts in care teams, high workload and physicians feeling threatened. These results can help during implementation of task shifting and in monitoring the perceived effects of task shifting among nurses. REPORTING METHOD: This study followed the STROBE reporting guideline for cross-sectional studies. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No Patient or Public Contribution. This study focussed on the task shifting (perspectives) of nurses.

Improvement of palliative care for people with intellectual disabilities: A multi-site evaluation.

BACKGROUND: To improve the quality of palliative care, six evidence-based tools were implemented in 10 care services specialised in care for people with intellectual disabilities. Contextual differences were taken into account by using a participatory action research approach. METHOD: The RE-AIM framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance) structured the evaluation. Data sources were online questionnaires completed by 299 professionals at baseline (response 45.2%) and 250 professionals after 2.5 years (35.1%), 11 semi-structured group interviews with 43 professionals, field notes and implementation plans. RESULTS: A total of 767 professionals and 43 teams were reached. The effectiveness of the intervention was demonstrated in an improved knowledge of palliative care policy and increased competences among professionals. 79% of the professionals adopted tools in the toolbox. The participatory action research method was perceived as valuable in driving change. CONCLUSIONS: Improving palliative care needs a context-specific, flexible approach, with involvement of all stakeholders.

Improving palliative care for people with intellectual disability: a self-assessment of policies, practices and competencies in care services.

BACKGROUND: Providing care for ageing and vulnerable people with intellectual disability (ID) is challenging, and professionals working in ID care often have limited experience in palliative care. The current study provides insight into palliative care practices in ID care services and competencies of professionals and identifies ways to improve palliative care for people with ID. METHODS: For this study ten services in the Netherlands were recruited that provide care for people with mild to profound ID. Professionals in each of these services conducted a self-assessment of their palliative care policies and practices based on nine core element of palliative care described in the Dutch Quality Framework for Palliative Care. The self-assessment included a medical file review of a total of 100 people with ID who died non-suddenly. In addition, 424 professionals from the services returned a digital questionnaire on palliative care competencies and training needs. RESULTS: The self-assessments showed that individual care plans were recorded for people with ID and that multidisciplinary teams provided physical, psychological, social and spiritual care. However, other core elements of palliative care, such as cooperation with other organisations and expertise in palliative care, were less present in ID care services. Only half of the services collaborated with regional organisations in palliative care, and most services listed no requirements for the palliative care skills of their professionals. The questionnaire showed that almost 10% of the professionals reported that they were not at all competent in providing palliative care, and 74% felt that they needed training in palliative care. Reported areas for improvement in the provision of palliative care were increasing the quality of palliative care, improving the expertise of professionals and identifying palliative care needs earlier. CONCLUSIONS: To improve palliative care in ID care services changes are required both in competencies of professionals, and organisational policies and practices. Services should enhance awareness about palliative care for people with ID, strengthen collaboration with palliative care services, and offer training or support for professionals in assessing and meeting the needs of people with ID at the end of life.

Nursing care for patients carrying multi-drug resistant organisms: Experiences, intention to use protective equipment and ability to comply with measures.

AIMS: The aims of the study were to explore the impact of caring for patients carrying multi-drug resistant organisms on nursing staff and identify factors predicting their intention to use personal protective equipment and their ability to comply with advised infection prevention and control measures. BACKGROUND: Carriage of multi-drug resistant organisms and corresponding infection prevention and control measures have a major impact on patients. Limited research has been done to investigate the impact of caring for these patients on nursing staff. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design. METHODS: Online survey among Dutch nursing staff in various healthcare settings. Prediction analyses were conducted using random forest. The STROBE checklist was used preparing the manuscript. RESULTS: 974 respondents were included. The majority of nursing staff reported to have experience in caring for patients carrying multi-drug resistant organisms. Relevant dilemmas in daily practice were identified. Important predictors of the intention to use protective equipment were practicing hand hygiene, usable protocols, favourable attitudes and perceptions, as well as knowledge. Important predictors of the ability to comply with advised measures were usable and findable protocols, a suitable work environment and practicing hand hygiene. CONCLUSION: We have gained comprehensive insight into experiences, attitudes, perceptions, knowledge and dilemmas in daily practice of nursing staff caring for patients carrying multi-drug resistant organisms. To enhance their intention to use protective equipment and their ability to comply with advised measures, activities should focus on improving hand hygiene and the usability of protocols. Additionally, efforts are needed to improve knowledge, provide better resources and a more supportive work environment. All of which need to be specifically tailored to each healthcare setting. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The results can be used in the development of interventions to improve nursing care while reducing the unfavourable impact on nursing staff and supporting adherence to advised measures.

International comparison of professional competency frameworks for nurses: a document analysis.

BACKGROUND: Nursing competency frameworks describe the competencies; knowledge, skills and attitudes nurses should possess. Countries have their own framework. Knowledge of the content of professional competency frameworks in different countries can enhance the development of these frameworks and international collaborations. OBJECTIVE: This study examines how competencies and task divisions are described in the current professional competency frameworks for registered nurses (RNs with a Bachelor's degree) in the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom (UK), Canada and the United States (US). METHODS: Qualitative document analysis was conducted using the most recently published professional competency frameworks for registered nurses in the above-mentioned five countries. RESULTS: All the competency frameworks distinguished categories of competencies. Three of the five frameworks explicitly mentioned the basis for the categorization: an adaptation of the CanMEDS model (Netherlands), European directives on the recognition of professional qualifications (Belgium) and an adapted inter-professional framework (US). Although there was variation in how competencies were grouped, we inductively identified ten generic competency domains: (1) Professional Attitude, (2) Clinical Care in Practice, (3) Communication and Collaboration, (4) Health Promotion and Prevention, (5) Organization and Planning of Care, (6) Leadership, (7) Quality and Safety of Care, (8) Training and (continuing) Education, (9) Technology and e-Health, (10) Support of Self-Management and Patient Empowerment. Country differences were found in some more specific competency descriptions. All frameworks described aspects related to the division of tasks between nurses on the one hand and physicians and other healthcare professionals on the other hand. However, these descriptions were rather limited and often imprecise. CONCLUSIONS: Although ten generic domains could be identified when analysing and comparing the competency frameworks, there are country differences in the categorizations and the details of the competencies described in the frameworks. These differences and the limited attention paid to the division of tasks might lead to cross-country differences in nursing practice and barriers to the international labour mobility of Bachelor-educated RNs.

Home care for patients with dirty homes: a qualitative study of the problems experienced by nurses and possible solutions.

BACKGROUND: Home-care nurses are often the first care professionals to enter a dirty home. The perceived problems and support needs of home-care nurses in these situations are largely unknown. OBJECTIVE: To examine the problems home-care nurses encounter in caring for patients living in dirty homes, and possible solutions for these problems. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive research. SETTING: Communities across the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-three participants to investigate the problems or needs experienced, and 20 participants to investigate solutions. Participants included patients, home-care nurses and other professionals working in the community. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 participants and analysed according to the principles of deductive thematic analysis. Subsequently, in interviews with 4 (representatives of) patients and four focus-group sessions with 16 professionals, the problems found were validated and solutions to the problems discussed. RESULTS: Ten subthemes emerged that were clustered into three main themes: 'dilemmas arise in choosing the right nursing care'; 'cooperation and an integrated approach are often necessary, but lacking'; 'home-care nurses have insufficient competencies'. Seven possible solutions were found: (1) strengthening collaboration between organizations in the community; (2) involving others sooner; (3) case management; (4) person-centred care; (5) taking more time; (6) providing home-care nurses with tools and support services; and (7) strengthening the competencies of nurses. CONCLUSIONS: Care for patients with a dirty home is complex. An integrated person-centred care approach is often necessary and home-care nurses need extra support to provide such care. Interventions should not only focus on patients, but address the nurses, the organization, and the collaboration between organizations in the community.

Implementation of a threefold intervention to improve palliative care for persons experiencing homelessness: a process evaluation using the RE-AIM framework.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care provision for persons experiencing homelessness is often poor. A threefold consultation service intervention was expected to increase knowledge of palliative care and multidisciplinary collaboration, and improve palliative care for this population. This intervention comprised: 1) consultation of social service professionals by palliative care specialists and vice versa; 2) multidisciplinary meetings with these professionals; and 3) training and education of these professionals. We aimed to evaluate the implementation process and its barriers and facilitators of this service implemented within social services and healthcare organizations in three Dutch regions. METHODS: A process evaluation using structured questionnaires among consultants, semi-structured individual and group interviews among professionals involved, and (research) diaries. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. The process evaluation was structured using the Reach, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance dimensions of the RE-AIM framework. RESULTS: All three regions adopted all three activities of the intervention, with differences between the three regions in the start, timing and frequency. During the 21-month implementation period there were 34 consultations, 22 multidisciplinary meetings and 9 training sessions. The professionals reached were mainly social service professionals. Facilitators for adoption of the service were a perceived need for improving palliative care provision and previous acquaintance with other professionals involved, while professionals' limited skills in recognizing, discussing and prioritizing palliative care hindered adoption. Implementation was facilitated by a consultant's expertise in advising professionals and working with persons experiencing homelessness, and hindered by COVID-19 circumstances, staff shortages and lack of knowledge of palliative care in social service facilities. Embedding the service in regular, properly funded meetings was expected to facilitate maintenance, while the limited number of persons involved in this small-scale service was expected to be an obstacle. CONCLUSIONS: A threefold intervention aimed at improving palliative care for persons experiencing homelessness is evaluated as being most usable when tailored to specific regions, with bedside and telephone consultations and a combination of palliative care consultants and teams of social service professionals. It is recommended to further implement this region-tailored intervention with palliative care consultants in the lead, and to raise awareness and to remove fear of palliative care provision.

Evaluating the perceived added value of a threefold intervention to improve palliative care for persons experiencing homelessness: a mixed-method study among social service and palliative care professionals.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care for persons experiencing homelessness who reside in social service facilities is often late or lacking. A threefold intervention was implemented to improve palliative care for this population by increasing knowledge and collaboration between social service and palliative care professionals. This consultation service comprised: 1) consultations between social service professionals and palliative care professionals; 2) multidisciplinary meetings involving these professionals; and 3) training of these professionals. This study aims to evaluate the perceived added value of this threefold consultation service in three regions in the Netherlands. METHODS: A mixed-methods evaluation study using structured questionnaires for consultants, requesting consultants, and attendees of multidisciplinary meetings, semi-structured group and individual interviews with social service and palliative care professionals involved, weekly diaries filled out by consultants, and an implementation diary. Qualitative data were analyzed following the principles of thematic analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively. RESULTS: Thirty-four consultations, 22 multidisciplinary meetings and 9 training sessions were studied during the implementation period of 21 months. Social service professionals made up the majority of all professionals reached by the intervention. In all regions the intervention was perceived to have added value for collaboration and networks of social service and palliative care professionals (connecting disciplines reciprocally and strengthening collaborations), the competences of especially social service professionals involved (competency in palliative care provision, feeling emotionally supported in complex situations), and the quality and timing of palliative care (more focus on quality of life and dying, advance care planning and looking ahead, and greater awareness of death and palliative care). CONCLUSIONS: The threefold consultation service particularly helps social service professionals connect with palliative care professionals. It helps them to identify palliative care needs in good time and to provide qualitatively better palliative care to persons experiencing homelessness.

Nurses' perspective on their involvement in decision-making about life-prolonging treatments: A quantitative survey study.

AIMS: In hospital settings, decisions about potentially life-prolonging treatments are often made in a dialogue between a patient and their physician, with a focus on active treatment. Nurses can have a valuable contribution in this process, but it seems they are not always involved. Our aim was to explore how hospital nurses perceive their current role and preferred role in shared decision-making about potentially life-prolonging treatment in patients in the last phase of life. DESIGN: Cross-sectional quantitative study conducted in the Netherlands in April and May 2019. METHODS: An online survey, using a questionnaire consisting of 12 statements on nurses' opinion about supporting patients in decisions about potentially life-prolonging treatments, and 13 statements on nurses' actual involvement in these decisions. RESULTS: In total 179 hospital nurses from multiple institutions who care for adult patients in the last phase of life responded. Nurses agreed that they should have a role in shared decision-making about potentially life-prolonging treatments, indicating greatest agreement with 'It is my task to speak up for my patient' and 'It is important that my role in supporting patients is clear'. However, nurses also said that in practice they were often not involved in shared decision-making, with least involvement in 'active participation in communication about treatment decisions' and 'supporting a patient with the decision'. CONCLUSION: There is a discrepancy between nurses' preferred role in decision-making about potentially life-prolonging treatment and their actual role. More effort is needed to increase nurses' involvement. IMPACT: Nurses' contribution to decision-making is increasingly considered to be valuable by the nurses themselves, physicians and patients, though involvement is still not common. Future research should focus on strategies, such as training programs, that empower nurses to take an active role in decision-making.

Nursing documentation and its relationship with perceived nursing workload: a mixed-methods study among community nurses.

BACKGROUND: The time that nurses spent on documentation can be substantial and burdensome. To date it was unknown if documentation activities are related to the workload that nurses perceive. A distinction between clinical documentation and organizational documentation seems relevant. This study aims to gain insight into community nurses' views on a potential relationship between their clinical and organizational documentation activities and their perceived nursing workload. METHODS: A convergent mixed-methods design was used. A quantitative survey was completed by 195 Dutch community nurses and a further 28 community nurses participated in qualitative focus groups. For the survey an online questionnaire was used. Descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon signed-ranked tests, Spearman's rank correlations and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to analyse the survey data. Next, four qualitative focus groups were conducted in an iterative process of data collection - data analysis - more data collection, until data saturation was reached. In the qualitative analysis, the six steps of thematic analysis were followed. RESULTS: The majority of the community nurses perceived a high workload due to documentation activities. Although survey data showed that nurses estimated that they spent twice as much time on clinical documentation as on organizational documentation, the workload they perceived from these two types of documentation was comparable. Focus-group participants found organizational documentation particularly redundant. Furthermore, the survey indicated that a perceived high workload was not related to actual time spent on clinical documentation, while actual time spent on organizational documentation was related to the perceived workload. In addition, the survey showed no associations between community nurses' perceived workload and the user-friendliness of electronic health records. Yet focus-group participants did point towards the impact of limited user-friendliness on their perceived workload. Lastly, there was no association between the perceived workload and whether the nursing process was central in the electronic health records. CONCLUSIONS: Community nurses often perceive a high workload due to clinical and organizational documentation activities. Decreasing the time nurses have to spend specifically on organizational documentation and improving the user-friendliness and intercommunicability of electronic health records appear to be important ways of reducing the workload that community nurses perceive.

Home care nurses more positive about the palliative care that is provided and their own competence than hospital nurses: a nationwide survey.

BACKGROUND: People often prefer to stay at home until the end of life, but hospital admissions are quite common. In previous research bereaved relatives were found to be less positive about palliative care in hospital. However, it was not known how the content and quality of palliative care differ between home care and hospitals from the perspectives of hospital nurses and home care nurses and how palliative care in these settings could be improved. METHODS: A survey was held among hospital and home care nurses, recruited from a nationwide Nursing Staff Panel and through open calls on social media and in an online newsletter. The pre-structured online survey included questions on the palliative care provided, the quality of this care and the respondent's perceived competence in providing palliative care. The questionnaire was completed by 229 home care nurses and 106 hospital nurses. RESULTS: Most nurses provided palliative care in the physical and psychological domains, fewer provided care in the social and spiritual domains. A higher percentage of home care nurses stated that they provided care in these domains than hospital nurses. Overall, 70% of the nurses rated the quality of palliative care as very good to excellent. This percentage was higher among home care nurses (76.4%) than hospital nurses (59.4%). Moreover, a higher percentage of home care nurses (94.4%) stated they felt competent to a great extent to provide palliative care compared to hospital nurses (84.7%). Competencies regarding the physical domain were perceived as better compared to the competencies concerning the other domains. The nurses recommended paying more attention to inter-professional collaboration and communication, timely identification of the palliative phase and advance care planning, and more time available for palliative care patients. CONCLUSION: Although the quality of palliative care was rated as very good to excellent by nurses, improvements can still be made, particularly regarding palliative care in hospitals. Although patients often prefer to die at home rather than in hospital, still a considerable number of people do die in hospital; therefore hospital nurses must also be trained and be able to provide high-quality palliative care.

What is important for advance care planning in the palliative phase of people with intellectual disabilities? A multi-perspective interview study.

BACKGROUND: Advance care planning (ACP) is the process of discussing and documenting wishes and preferences for future care. Research about ACP for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) is limited. This study describes what is important for ACP in the palliative phase of people with intellectual disabilities. METHOD: In-depth interviews were conducted with people with intellectual disabilities (n = 5), relatives (n = 7) and professional caregivers (n = 8). Qualitative data were analysed inductively, using the principles of thematic analysis. RESULTS: Important themes in ACP were as follows: tailoring care, working as a team and taking and giving time. The perceived role of people with intellectual disabilities in ACP was to express their wishes. Relatives had a signalling, representing and contributing role. Professionals felt their role was to inform, collaborate and coordinate. CONCLUSIONS: A staff training programme about ACP should cover how to build and maintain close relationships, provide a safe environment and address ACP as an integral part of care.

A systematic review of palliative care tools and interventions for people with severe mental illness.

BACKGROUND: Increasing attention to palliative care for the general population has led to the development of various evidence-based or consensus-based tools and interventions. However, specific tools and interventions are needed for people with severe mental illness (SMI) who have a life-threatening illness. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the scientific evidence on tools and interventions in palliative care for this group. METHODS: Systematic searches were done in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Embase databases, supplemented by reference tracking, searches on the internet with free text terms, and consultations with experts to identify relevant literature. Empirical studies with qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods designs concerning tools and interventions for use in palliative care for people with SMI were included. Methodological quality was assessed using a critical appraisal instrument for heterogeneous study designs. Stepwise study selection and the assessment of methodological quality were done independently by two review authors. RESULTS: Four studies were included, reporting on a total of two tools and one multi-component intervention. One study concerned a tool to identify the palliative phase in patients with SMI. This tool appeared to be usable only in people with SMI with a cancer diagnosis. Furthermore, two related studies focused on a tool to involve people with SMI in discussions about medical decisions at the end of life. This tool was assessed as feasible and usable in the target group. One other study concerned the Dutch national Care Standard for palliative care, including a multi-component intervention. The Palliative Care Standard also appeared to be feasible and usable in a mental healthcare setting, but required further tailoring to suit this specific setting. None of the included studies investigated the effects of the tools and interventions on quality of life or quality of care. CONCLUSIONS: Studies of palliative care tools and interventions for people with SMI are scarce. The existent tools and intervention need further development and should be tailored to the care needs and settings of these people. Further research is needed on the feasibility, usability and effects of tools and interventions for palliative care for people with SMI.

Which patients die in their preferred place? A secondary analysis of questionnaire data from bereaved relatives.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on factors influencing the place of death have focused on cancer patients dying at home. However, home is not always the preferred place. AIM: To provide insight into the extent to which patients with various diseases die in their preferred place and into factors associated with dying in the preferred place. DESIGN: A secondary analysis of the data set of the evaluation study of the National Quality Improvement Programme for Palliative Care was undertaken to explore factors related to 'dying in the preferred place'. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: A total of 797 bereaved relatives filled in the Consumer Quality Index Palliative Care, a validated and reliable questionnaire. RESULTS: Two-thirds of the patients died in the preferred place. A preference for dying at home and having had a stroke decreased the likelihood of dying in the preferred place, while having a partner, dementia, contact with the general practitioner in the last week before death, and continuity of care between professionals increased the likelihood of dying in the preferred place. Furthermore, people who wanted to die at home and also had dementia were more likely to die elsewhere than people without dementia who wanted to die at home. CONCLUSION: Positive associations were found between continuity of care between healthcare professionals and contact with the general practitioner and the chance of people dying in their preferred place. Moreover, special attention for people who have had a stroke and for people with dementia who want to die at home seems indicated as their diagnosis is negatively associated with dying in their preferred place.

Care avoidance among homeless people and access to care: an interview study among spiritual caregivers, street pastors, homeless outreach workers and formerly homeless people.

BACKGROUND: Because of their poor health and social vulnerability, homeless people require specific care. However, due to care avoidance, homeless people are often not involved in care. This study aims to get insights into reasons for and kinds of care avoidance among homeless people and to provide suggestions to reach this target group. METHODS: Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted among street pastors (n = 9), spiritual caregivers (n = 9), homeless outreach workers (n = 7) and formerly homeless people (n = 3). Participants were recruited by purposive sampling in the four major cities in the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, The Hague). The verbatim transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The term care avoidance was perceived as stigmatizing. Care avoidance is found to be related to characteristics of the homeless person (e.g. having complex problems, other priorities) as well as of the system (e.g. complex system, conditions and requirements of organizations). The person-related characteristics suggestions to involve homeless persons include tailoring care and building relationships, which might even be prioritised over starting care interventions. Setting limits on behaviour without rejecting the person, and an attitude reflecting humanity, dignity and equality were also important factors in making care more accessible and lasting. As regards system-related characteristics, the suggestions include clear information and communication to homeless people who avoid care as being crucial in order to make care more accessible. Other suggestions include quiet and less busy shelters, a non-threatening attitude and treatment by professionals, self-reflection by professionals and finally a change of policy and legislation regarding available time. CONCLUSIONS: Reasons for care avoidance can be found in the interplay between both the individual and the system; measures to reduce care avoidance should be taken at both levels. These measures are centred on lowering the barriers to care inter alia by incorporating building trust and understanding into the care provided.

Access to palliative care for homeless people: complex lives, complex care.

BACKGROUND: People experiencing homelessness often encounter progressive incurable somatic diseases in combination with psychiatric and psychosocial problems, and many need palliative care at the end of their lives. Little is known about how palliative care for this group can be started in good time and provided optimally. The objective of this paper is to give insight into the extent people experiencing homelessness have access to good palliative care. METHODS: Qualitative in-depth interviews were held to reconstruct the cases of 19 people experiencing homelessness in the Netherlands. Eight cases concerned persons being in the palliative phase (using the surprise question) and the other 11 cases concerned persons recently died after a period of ill health due to somatic illness. We used purposive sampling until data saturation was reached. The total number of interviews was 52. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed inductively. RESULTS: Three key themes were: 'late access', 'capricious trajectory' and 'complex care'. The first key theme refers to the often delayed start of palliative care, because of the difficulties in recognizing the need for palliative care, the ambivalence of people experiencing homelessness about accepting palliative care, and the lack of facilities with specific expertise in palliative care for them. The second key theme refers to the illness trajectory, which is often capricious because of the challenging behaviour of people experiencing homelessness, an unpredictable disease process and a system not being able to accommodate or meet their needs. The third key theme refers to the complexity of their care with regard to pain and symptom control, psychosocial and spiritual aspects, and the social network. CONCLUSIONS: The care for in the palliative phase does not satisfy the core requirements of palliative care since there are bottlenecks regarding timely identification, the social network, and the assessment and management of physical symptoms and psychosocial and spiritual care needs. Education in palliative care of outreach professionals, training staff in shelters in the provision of palliative care, and building a network of palliative care specialists for people experiencing homelessness.

Palliative care for homeless people: a systematic review of the concerns, care needs and preferences, and the barriers and facilitators for providing palliative care.

BACKGROUND: Homeless people often suffer from complex and chronic comorbidities, have high rates of morbidity and die at much younger ages than the general population. Due to a complex combination of physical, psychosocial and addiction problems at the end of life, they often have limited access to palliative care. Both the homeless and healthcare providers experience a lot of barriers. Therefore, providing palliative care that fits the needs and concerns of the homeless is a challenge to healthcare providers. This systematic review aims to summarize evidence about the concerns, palliative care needs and preferences of homeless people, as well as barriers and facilitators for delivering high quality palliative care. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Web of Science were searched up to 10 May 2016. Included were studies about homeless people with a short life expectancy, their palliative care needs and the palliative care provided, that were conducted in Western countries. Data were independently extracted by two researchers using a predefined extraction form. Quality was assessed using a Critical Appraisal instrument. The systematic literature review was based on the PRISMA statement. RESULTS: Twenty-seven publications from 23 different studies met the inclusion criteria; 15 studies were qualitative and eight were quantitative. Concerns of the homeless often related to end-of-life care not being a priority, drug dependence hindering adequate care, limited insight into their condition and little support from family and relatives. Barriers and facilitators often concerned the attitude of healthcare professionals towards homeless people. A respectful approach and respect for dignity proved to be important in good quality palliative care. CONCLUSIONS: A patient-centred, flexible and low-threshold approach embodying awareness of the concerns of homeless people is needed so that appropriate palliative care can be provided timely. Training, education and experience of professionals can help to accomplish this.

Relatives' perceived quality of palliative care: comparisons between care settings in which patients die.

BACKGROUND: Dying in the preferred setting is an indicator of good palliative care quality. Most people prefer to die at home. But does the quality of care as perceived by their relatives vary depending on the care setting that is the place of death? The aim is to compare (from the relatives perspective) whether there are perceived differences in the quality of palliative care between the settings in which people die. METHODS: Multivariate linear regression analyses have been carried out using an existing dataset containing information collected using the relatives' version of the Consumer Quality Index (CQ-index) Palliative Care. The dataset includes 1368 relatives of patients with a wide variety of conditions who died in various locations: at home, in hospital, in residential care for the elderly, a hospice, palliative care unit or in another institution (e.g. institutions for people with intellectual disabilities or mental healthcare institutions). The relatives were the first contacts (family members or other people close to the patient) and they received the survey between 6 weeks and 6 months after the bereavement. RESULTS: Based on the raw data, differences between locations in terms of the perceived quality of care initially appeared inconsistent. The multivariate regression analyses however showed that relatives of people who died at home were generally the most positive about the palliative care that the patient and they themselves received when the patient was dying. The care provided by hospices also received a relatively good rating. In hospitals and in residential settings for care of the elderly, the care was rated less highly by the relatives. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of palliative care as experienced from the relatives' perspective is highest when the patient dies at home or in a hospice. This is an argument for letting people die at home, if they so wish, as far as possible and feasible.

Home-care nursing staff in self-directed teams are more satisfied with their job and feel they have more autonomy over patient care: a nationwide survey.

AIMS: The aims of this study were: (1) To examine whether working in a self-directed team is related to home-care nursing staff's job satisfaction; (2) To assess the mediating effect of self-perceived autonomy over patient care; (3) To investigate the moderating effect of educational level on the association between autonomy over patient care and job satisfaction. BACKGROUND: Self-directed teams are being introduced in home care in several countries. It is unknown whether working in a self-directed team is related to nursing staff's job satisfaction. It is important to gain insight into this association since self-directed teams may help in retaining nursing staff. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study based on two questionnaire surveys in 2014 and 2015. METHODS: The study involved 191 certified nursing assistants and registered nurses employed in Dutch home-care organizations (mean age of 50). These were members of the Dutch Nursing Staff Panel, a nationwide panel of nursing staff working in various healthcare settings. RESULTS: Self-direction is positively related to nursing staff's job satisfaction. This relationship is partly mediated by autonomy over patient care. For certified nursing assistants and registered nurses with a bachelor's degree, a greater sense of autonomy over patient care in self-directed teams is positively related to job satisfaction. No significant association was found between autonomy over patient care and job satisfaction for registered nurses with an associate degree. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that home-care organizations should consider the use of self-directed teams as this increases nursing staff's job satisfaction and may therefore help to retain nursing staff in home care.

Understanding and using quality information for quality improvement: The effect of information presentation.

OBJECTIVE: To examine how information presentation affects the understanding and use of information for quality improvement. DESIGN: An experimental design, testing 22 formats, and showing information on patient safety culture. Formats differed in visualization, outcomes and benchmark information. INTERVENTION(S): Respondents viewed three randomly selected presentation formats in an online survey, completing several tasks per format. SETTING: The hospital sector in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: A volunteer sample of healthcare professionals, mainly nurses, working in hospitals. Main Outcome Measure(s): The degree to which information is understandable and usable (accurate choice for quality improvement, sense of urgency to change and appraisal of one's own performance). RESULTS: About 115 healthcare professionals participated (response rate 25%), resulting in 345 reviews. UNDERSTANDABILITY: Information in tables (P = 0.007) and bar charts (P < 0.0001) was better understood than radars. Presenting outcomes on a 5-point scale (P < 0.001) or as '% positive responders' (P < 0.001) was better understood than '% negative responders'. Formats without benchmarks were better understood than formats with benchmarks. Use: Bar charts resulted in more accurate choices than tables (P = 0.003) and radars (P < 0.001). Outcomes on a 5-point scale resulted in more accurate choices than '% negative responders' (P = 0.007). Presenting '% positive responders' resulted in a higher sense of urgency to change than outcomes on a 5-point scale (P = 0.002). Benchmark information had inconsistent effects on the appraisal of one's own performances. CONCLUSIONS: Information presentation affects healthcare professionals' understanding and use of quality information. Our findings supplement the further understanding on how quality information can be best communicated to healthcare professionals for realizing quality improvements.