Implementation and evaluation of a dignity care intervention (DCI) for individuals nearing the end of life in a community setting

Project Duration

April 2013 - April 2015

Funder

Irish Hospice Foundation, Irish Cancer Society

Project Staff

Prof Bridget Johnston (co-applicant) ¹
Dr Sonja McIlfatrick (PI) ^{2 3}
Prof Philip Larkin (PI) ^{4 3}
Dr Michael Connolly ³

Staff Institutions

The University of Nottingham
University of Ulster
All Ireland Institute for Hospice and Palliative Care
University College Dublin

Aims

The aim of this project is to implement and evaluate a dignity care intervention that will be delivered by community RN's, public health nurses (PHN), and specialist palliative care nurses based in a community setting to help conserve the dignity of people at the end of life.

Methods

This project is a service development imitative. The following stages will be accomplished:

Development of an education and training programme and supportive learning materials with potential for expansion beyond the four pilot sites.
A programme of supervision/mentorship activities for practitioners in and around palliative care.
DCI Intervention Programme (including training adapted to Irish context).
All nurses across both rural and urban sites who received training and are implementing the DCI will be invited to take part in focus groups/semi-structured interviews (through telephone where necessary) to explore their perceptions of the acceptability of the intervention in more detail. This will include questions on their perceptions of the usefulness of the tool for nurses to conserve patients' dignity.
Community nurses will be asked to record significant events occurring during delivery of the intervention in a diary to further evaluate their use of the dignity care tool.
A retrospective case note review to examine the potential outcomes of the intervention will also be undertaken.

Outcomes and Findings

Johnston B, Larkin P, Connolly M, Barry C, Narayanasamy M, Östlund U, et al. Dignity-conserving care in palliative care settings: An integrative review. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2015;10.1111/jocn.12791.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jocn.12791/epdf

14th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care, Copenhagen, Denmark- poster abstract
Dignity Care Intervention Ireland (DCI Ireland): Pre and Post Education Evaluation for Nurses Working in the Community Setting (p118)
http://www.eapc-2015.org/tl_files/eapc15/Downloads/EAPC_2015_Abstract_Book.pdf

Information on the project on AIIHPC website:
http://aiihpc.org/research/knowledge-transfer-activities/dignity-care-intervention/

Stage of Development

Completed.

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