Determining critical points in the potential palliative care pathway in the last year of life [ 2007 - 2010 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Prof Lorna Rosenwax (Principal investigator) ,  Prof Beverley Mcnamara ,  Prof David Currow ,  Prof Samar Aoun

Brief description People with serious illnesses who are approaching the end of their lives undergo a journey where, along the way, they experience several critical points. Although we know these critical points are crucial to how they might access the best kind of care, we are unsure exactly when these points may occur and how they may vary for different kinds of people. We need to know when is the best time to start withdrawing invasive and purely curative treatments, when are discussions about approaching death best introduced and how we can care for people from a diverse range of backgrounds and beliefs within our current health care system. We also need to identify and promote the best possible ways of supporting patients at the end of life and their families as they negotiate the often complex path towards a good death. With this kind of information, health care practitioners, particularly those involved in palliative care, can design better services that put in place pathways where assessment of patient and family needs, referral to the most appropriate services and coordination of all the aspects of care are easy to understand and access for all people. This kind of care can be expensive so we need to use the money allocated to palliative care wisely. This can be achieved with thoughtful research that identifies those most in need, at the time of most need and investigates the best approaches to alleviating pain in suffering in the weeks and months before death. A fair and equitable health care system is not just about keeping people healthy, but also about dealing humanely with the inevitability of death

Funding Amount $AUD 356,461.47

Funding Scheme NHMRC Strategic Awards

Notes Health Services Research