Research project - Deathbed etiquette - The Guide
A Qualitative Study Exploring the Views of Practitioners on its Introduction into End-of-Life Care Settings
Dr Jo Elverson, one of our Consultants in Palliative Medicine, co-led a study that explored the views of practitioners on how a guide to deathbed etiquette could be used.
It is common for relatives to feel uncertain about what to expect at the bedside of a dying loved one. The Centre for the Art of Dying Well, together with clinical, academic and communications experts created a ‘Deathbed Etiquette’ guide offering information and reassurance to relatives.
The study sought to explore the views of practitioners with experiences in end-of-life care on the guide and how it might be used.
Dr. Amy Gadoud, NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Training Lead at Lancaster Medical School.
Dr Jo Elverson, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, St Oswald’s Hospice.
St Mary’s University
2021
The aim of this study was to explore the views of healthcare practitioners on the guide and how it might be used within end-of-life care.
Providing an account of their views will contribute to the evidence base needed to develop effective information and communication for relatives at the end of life.
3 online focus groups and 9 individual interviews were conducted and recorded with a purposive sample of 21 participants involved in end-of-life care.
Participants were recruited through hospices and social media.
Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Transcripts were coded using Nvivo 12 Plus. A comparison across the dataset allowed themes to be identified.
The study found that the guide to Deathbed Etiquette could potentially be an effective tool in supporting relatives as well as practitioners in end-of-life care.
Key findings demonstrated the importance of normalising experiences of being by the bedside of a dying loved one, including the need to talk about death and dying.
Having honest and compassionate conversations with relatives about death and dying is crucial, and the guide was found to potentially contribute to this aim with its simple messages and reassuring language.
The study recommended that further research is needed on relatives’ views on the guide, ensuring that broad perspectives are captured.
There is also a need for more research on how to implement the guide in healthcare settings, which will include exploring the suitability of different terminology and language around death and dying, and how communication resources can be designed and implemented in settings where practitioners and patients are likely to have different preferences regarding language.
Read the published report below.
Read the report