‘Don’t be afraid’ – hospital clinician’s responses to an End of Life Essentials ‘Imminent Death’ module

‘End of Life Essentials’ (EOLE) provides online learning opportunities and practice resources for health professionals to improve the quality and safety of end-of-life care in acute hospitals. The ‘Imminent Death’ module explores care pre-and post-death of the patient (including care of their body), care of the family and self-care. Module content reflected findings from an evaluation of previous modules [1]. Understanding practice issues being experienced by health professionals could support further development.

To identify the most important practice change issue identified by health professionals as it relates to care of the imminently dying patient.

A free text question is posed at the end of modules asking about workplace change to improve the quality of dying. “If you could change one thing in your workplace to enable quality end of life, what would it be?” Ethical approval was received (Flinders University project 7012).

340 learners took the module over a 4-month period in 2019 with 280 comments received. Content analysis has identified practice change issues that warrant further exploration. Responses were found to fall under the following themes: Personal, team, organisation.

Themes have identified areas for potential change within practice, and in relation to staff professional development in the provision of care in the terminal phase of life. Team and organisational issues can potentially impact on the individuals’ ability to change practice.

Providing quality care for those dying in hospital is challenging. End of Life Essentials provides information and resources to help identify areas for change in relation to Imminent Death.

1. Rawlings, Devery, Poole N. 2019.  Improving quality in hospital end-of-life care: honest communication, compassion and empathy. BMJ Open Quality. 8:e00066