The effectiveness of communication-skills training interventions in end-of-life noncancer care in acute hospital-based services: A systematic review.

Objective: A systematic review was conducted in order to explore the effectiveness of communication-skills training interventions in end-of-life care with noncancer acute-based healthcare staff.

Method: Articles were included if they (1) focused on communication-skills training in end-of-life/palliative care for noncancer acute-based staff and (2) reported an outcome related to behavior change with regard to communication. Sixteen online databases were searched, which resulted in 4,038 potential articles.

Subjective experience or objective process: understanding the gap between values and practice for involving patients in designing patient-centred care.

Purpose: Patient-centred care and patient involvement are increasingly central concepts in health policy in the UK and elsewhere. However, there is little consensus regarding their definition or how to achieve "patient-centred" care in everyday practice or how to involve patients in service redesign initiatives. The purpose of this paper is to explore these issues from the perspective of key stakeholders within National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in the UK.

'The team for both sides?' A qualitative study of change in heart failure services at three acute NHS Trusts.

Heart failure (HF) is an increasingly prevalent long-term condition that affects around 900,000 people in the United Kingdom (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence). The study examined how HF services in the English National Health Service (NHS) were changing, focusing particularly on the primary/secondary care interface. The maintenance of continuity in care in the face of increasing demand and financial pressures on health and social care was a key concern.

"It's been quite a challenge": redesigning end-of-life care in acute hospitals.

Objective: This paper reports the findings of an interview-based study undertaken to investigate the introduction of end-of-life (EoL) care pathways in three acute trusts, as part of a larger project examining service redesign. The aim was to examine the barriers to and facilitators of change.

Method: Twenty-one in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with staff working in three National Health Service (NHS) acute hospital trusts.