Dataset Information

The roles, responsibilities and practices of healthcare assistants in out-of-hours community palliative care: A systematic scoping review.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Access to community palliative care 'out-of-hours' - defined as care provided after the normal hours of work - is advocated globally. Healthcare assistants, who provide care under the direction of a qualified professional, are increasingly employed to help deliver such care, yet there is a little understanding regarding their role, responsibilities or contribution. AIM:The aim of this study was to identify the roles, responsibilities and contributions of healthcare assistants in out-of-hours community palliative care. DESIGN:Scoping review. DATA SOURCES:Five bibliographic databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Scopus) and grey literature were searched using a predefined search strategy. The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews statement. RESULTS:The search yielded six papers using quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. Results highlighted a lack of recognition of the role and contribution of healthcare assistants. A concurrent theme was that healthcare assistants continually monitored and responded to patient's and family's physical and emotional needs; there was also self-reported evidence indicating patient and family benefit, such as maintaining a sense of normality and support to remain at home. DISCUSSION:This review highlighted a dearth of evidence relating to the healthcare assistant role in out-of-hours palliative care. Limited evidence suggests they play a role, but that it is hidden and undervalued. Such invisibility will have a significant impact on the planning and delivery of out-of-hours palliative care. Future research is needed on role development for the benefit of patients and caregivers.

SUBMITTER: Fee A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7448826 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

The roles, responsibilities and practices of healthcare assistants in out-of-hours community palliative care: A systematic scoping review.

Fee Anne A Muldrew Deborah D Slater Paul P Payne Sheila S McIlfatrick Sonja S McConnell Tracey T Finlay Dori-Anne DA Hasson Felicity F

Palliative medicine 20200615 8

<h4>Background</h4>Access to community palliative care 'out-of-hours' - defined as care provided after the normal hours of work - is advocated globally. Healthcare assistants, who provide care under the direction of a qualified professional, are increasingly employed to help deliver such care, yet there is a little understanding regarding their role, responsibilities or contribution.<h4>Aim</h4>The aim of this study was to identify the roles, responsibilities and contributions of healthcare assi ...[more]

PMID: 32538311

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Project description:BackgroundThere is an urgent need for community-based interventions that can be scaled up to meet the growing demand for palliative care. The purpose of this study was to scale out a volunteer navigation intervention called Nav-CARE by replicating the program in multiple contexts and evaluating feasibility, acceptability, sustainability, and impact.MethodsThis was a scale-out implementation and mixed-method evaluation study. Nav-CARE was implemented in 12 hospice and 3 nonhospice community-based organizations spanning five provinces in Canada. Volunteers visited clients in the home approximately every 2 weeks for 1 year with some modifications required by the COVID-19 public health restrictions. Qualitative evaluation data were collected from key informants (n = 26), clients/family caregivers (n = 57), and volunteers (n = 86) using semistructured interviews. Quantitative evaluation data included volunteer self-efficacy, satisfaction, and quality of life, and client engagement and quality of life.FindingsSuccessful implementation was influenced by organizational capacity, stable and engaged leadership, a targeted client population, and skillful messaging. Recruitment of clients was the most significant barrier to implementation. Clients reported statistically significant improvements in feeling they had someone to turn to, knowing the services available to help them in their community, being involved in things that were important to them, and having confidence in taking care of their illness. Improvements in clients' quality of life were reported in the qualitative data, although no statistically significant gains were reported on the quality of life measure. Volunteers reported good self-efficacy and satisfaction in their role.ConclusionThe feasibility, acceptability, and sustainability of the program were largely dependent on strong intraorganizational leadership. Volunteers reported that their involvement in Nav-CARE enabled them to engage in ongoing learning and have a meaningful and relational role with clients. Clients and families described the positive impact of a volunteer on their engagement and quality of life.

Dataset Information

The roles, responsibilities and practices of healthcare assistants in out-of-hours community palliative care: A systematic scoping review.

Publications

The roles, responsibilities and practices of healthcare assistants in out-of-hours community palliative care: A systematic scoping review.

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