Thijs Reyniers1, Dirk Houttekier2, H Roeline Pasman3, Robert Vander Stichele4, Joachim Cohen2, Luc Deliens5. 1. End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Brussels, Belgium Thijs.reyniers@vub.ac.be. 2. End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Brussels, Belgium. 3. EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research and Expertise Center for Palliative Care, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 4. End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Brussels, Belgium Heymans Institute of Pharmacology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. 5. End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Brussels, Belgium EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research and Expertise Center for Palliative Care, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Family physicians play a pivotal role in providing end-of-life care and in enabling terminally ill patients to die in familiar surroundings. The purpose of this study was to explore the family physicians' perceptions of their role and the difficulties they have in preventing and guiding hospital admissions at the end of life. METHODS: Five focus groups were held with family physicians (N= 39) in Belgium. Discussions were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a constant comparative approach. RESULTS: Five key roles in preventing and guiding hospital admissions at the end of life were identified: as a care planner, anticipating future scenarios; as an initiator of decisions in acute situations, mostly in an advisory manner; as a provider of end-of-life care, in which competency and attitude is considered important; as a provider of support, particularly by being available during acute situations; and as a decision maker, taking overall responsibility. CONCLUSIONS: Family physicians face many different and complex roles and difficulties in preventing and guiding hospital admissions at the end of life. Enhancing the family physician's role as a gatekeeper to hospital services, offering the physicians more end-of-life care training, and developing or expanding initiatives to support them could contribute to a lower proportion of hospital admissions at the end of life.
PURPOSE: Family physicians play a pivotal role in providing end-of-life care and in enabling terminally ill patients to die in familiar surroundings. The purpose of this study was to explore the family physicians' perceptions of their role and the difficulties they have in preventing and guiding hospital admissions at the end of life. METHODS: Five focus groups were held with family physicians (N= 39) in Belgium. Discussions were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a constant comparative approach. RESULTS: Five key roles in preventing and guiding hospital admissions at the end of life were identified: as a care planner, anticipating future scenarios; as an initiator of decisions in acute situations, mostly in an advisory manner; as a provider of end-of-life care, in which competency and attitude is considered important; as a provider of support, particularly by being available during acute situations; and as a decision maker, taking overall responsibility. CONCLUSIONS: Family physicians face many different and complex roles and difficulties in preventing and guiding hospital admissions at the end of life. Enhancing the family physician's role as a gatekeeper to hospital services, offering the physicians more end-of-life care training, and developing or expanding initiatives to support them could contribute to a lower proportion of hospital admissions at the end of life.
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