The following lists palliative care research primarily conducted by Australian research groups. The list is based on application of the CareSearch search filter for palliative care to identify articles held within the PubMed database and corresponding to the strongest evidence. Articles have been selected based on relevance and new articles are added on a weekly basis.
Whilst not an exhaustive list, the aim is to keep the community informed by providing a snapshot of recent research findings and planned studies in the Australian setting.
Ee C, Kandagor B, Paterson C, Vuong K.
Purpose: General Practitioners (GPs) play a crucial role across the cancer continuum, from prevention and early detection to end-of-life care. GPs provide comprehensive care that addresses a broad spectrum of health issues rather than a specific disease. Elements such as person-centeredness, continuity of care and whole-person care define the specialty of general practice. Other characteristics, such as expertise in managing uncertainty, undifferentiated illness and complexity, care coordination and teamwork, facilitate its evolution as a specialty.
Procedures: This paper uses the Caring Life-Course Theory as a theoretical framework to discuss the role of GPs in cancer care. We explore the barriers and enablers of providing optimal care in general practice for people diagnosed with cancer on an micro-, meso- and macro-level using the Caring Life-Course Theory.
Findings: The fundamentals of care framework aligns with the key characteristics of general practice namely first contact care, comprehensive care, continuity of care, person-centeredness and whole-person care. General practice is underpinned by a long-term therapeutic partnership with the patient, the ability to meet a range of care needs simultaneously, and an understanding of the context in which care is taking place. GPs provide care across the life course, facilitate self-care, care from others and care for others, assess care needs at transitions during the cancer continuum, and maintain a detailed care biography of the patient.
Conclusions: Adequate funding of longer consultations to facilitate the delivery of complex care, and expansion of multidisciplinary primary care teams, is required to sustain the delivery of quality cancer care in general practice.
Implications for nursing practice: There is significant opportunity to enhance the role of primary care nursing in delivery of cancer care in general practice, but this must be supported by enablers across all levels of care delivery.
George A, Kong A, Sengupta A, Villarosa AR, Patterson Norrie T, Agar M, et al.
Introduction: Oral health problems are prevalent among people receiving palliative care, affecting their quality of life. However, little is known about dental practitioners' perspectives in this setting. Thus, this study aimed to explore the perceptions of public dental practitioners regarding the provision of dental care for people who receive palliative care.
Methods: An exploratory focus group with 21 public dental practitioners, with a mean of 8.24 years of experience, was conducted in a public oral health service in Sydney, Australia. The focus group was transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.
Results: Three themes were identified: (1) enhancing quality of life in palliative care through improved oral health; (2) navigating the systemic and practical challenges of palliative dental care; (3) competent, collaborative, and optimised: a palliative oral care model. Participants highlighted the importance of oral health to quality of life while receiving palliative care. Nevertheless, there were several systematic and practical challenges to delivering appropriate dental care, which included competing priorities among clients, disconnects and gaps in care coordination with palliative care providers, limited training, and adapting treatment planning during appointments. Participants highlighted the need for a new model of care in the future that improved dental practitioners' competence through comprehensive palliative dental training, included protocols to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration, and optimised dental treatment planning and appointment scheduling.
Conclusions: Public dental practitioners in this study demonstrated positive attitudes, but systemic barriers and limited training restrict their care provision. A palliative oral health care model for this setting should include palliative dental training, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and optimise dental treatment planning.
Last updated 30 April 2024