Publications by authors named "Dan Munday"
The discrepancy in the demand for palliative care and distribution of specialist palliative care services will force patients to be eventually cared for by primary care/family physicians in the community. This will necessitate primary care/family physicians to equip themselves with knowledge and skills of primary palliative care. Indian National Health Policy (2017) recommended the creation of continuing education programs as a method to empower primary care/family physicians.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: This joint position statement, by the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) and Academy of Family Physicians of India (AFPI), proposes to address gaps in palliative care provision in the country by developing a community-based palliative care model that will empower primary care physicians to provide basic palliative care.
Evidence: India ranks very poorly, 67th of 80 countries in the quality of death index. Two-thirds of patients who die need palliative care and many such patients spend the last hours of life in the Intensive care unit.
Article Synopsis
- The study examines how patients with advanced illnesses maintain their personal identities amidst the challenges of their condition, highlighting the balance between their intrinsic sense of self and extrinsic influences from their healthcare environment.
- Through ethnographic observation and narrative interviews with 16 patients, the research identifies key factors, such as effective pain management, knowledge of resources, and collaborative care with professionals, that support identity maintenance.
- The findings suggest that healthcare providers should engage with patients as whole individuals rather than just focusing on their medical conditions, recognizing the importance of personal identity in their overall care experience.
Background: Approximately 600,000 people die in the UK annually, usually after months or years of increasing debility. Many patients with advanced conditions are not identified for appropriate support before they die because they are not seen as having "palliative" care needs. General practice information technology systems can improve care by identifying patients with deteriorating health so that their healthcare needs can be reviewed more systematically and effectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The study investigates the emotional labor of health care assistants in community palliative care, focusing on the experiences of both the assistants and bereaved family carers.
- - Findings reveal that health care assistants perceive providing emotional support as a key part of their role, which family carers appreciate and recognize, demonstrating the importance of this aspect in care settings.
- - Emotional support is expressed through relationship building, navigating boundaries in patient care, and collaborative efforts between assistants and family carers to facilitate home deaths.
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on understanding the experiences of patients with advanced multimorbidity and their family carers in the context of palliative and end-of-life care, highlighting a prevalent issue in healthcare.
- It involved detailed interviews with 37 patients and 17 carers, revealing challenges like managing numerous medications, a lack of coordinated care, and feelings of exhaustion among carers.
- Important findings indicate that many patients and carers see deteriorating health as a natural part of aging, leading to limited engagement in advance care planning and discussions about palliative care, which are often seen as synonymous with impending death.
Article Synopsis
- The study aims to create a care coordination model for patients with advanced illnesses and their unpaid caregivers, focusing on their perspectives on how care should be coordinated.* -
- Using qualitative research methods, including in-depth interviews with 56 patients and 27 caregivers across various healthcare settings in Britain, researchers analyzed the data to identify key themes and develop a cohesive model.* -
- Findings highlight that effective care coordination is a collaborative effort involving well-informed staff and active participation from patients and caregivers, requiring adequate resources and communication tailored to their needs.*
Background: Coordination of care for individuals with advanced progressive conditions is frequently poor.
Aim: To identify how care is coordinated in generalist settings for individuals with advanced progressive conditions in the last year of life.
Design And Setting: A mixed methods study of three UK generalist clinical settings producing three parallel case studies: an acute admissions unit in a regional hospital, a large general practice, and a respiratory outpatient service.
Background: Current models of post-treatment cancer care are based on traditional practices and clinician preference rather than evidence of benefit.
Objectives: To assess the feasibility of using a structured template to provide holistic follow-up of patients in primary care from cancer diagnosis onwards.
Methods: A two-phase mixed methods action research project.