What's New in the Project?
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While there are tremendous successes of our health care system – the ability to treat comorbidities and delay death, there is also an urgent need to discuss patients’ future with them. Most Australians want the opportunity to discuss and plan for the end of their life, and we know that this is not happening enough in hospitals.
In our 'Planning End-of-Life Care - Goals of Care' module you will learn:
- To assess your own strengths in discussing and managing goals of care
- Skills which can assist you in addressing conflict
- To recognise the importance of patient identified ‘family’.
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Sector News
- Overdiagnosis includes diagnosing ordinary life experiences as medical problems, often resulting in ineffective and misplaced healthcare, diagnostics, treatments and missed opportunities. In December 2019 the Preventing Overdiagnosis Conference will be held in Sydney. This important international meeting is sponsored by the World Health Organisation and includes:
- Commercial drivers of overdiagnosis/determinants of health
- Addressing overdiagnosis and overtreatment in musculoskeletal conditions
- Screening and overdiagnosis in the Asia Pacific region.
- As a society our understanding of death has changed. Medical skills and public health interventions mean that most of us will enjoy a long and healthy life and today most deaths are expected as a function of increasing age or progressing disease.
Flinders University, the home of End-of-Life Essentials, has launched the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying to look beyond palliative care as a health research issue into exploring end-of-life as a period of life with associated personal, social and community issues.
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Latest Evidence
- Although blood cancers are accompanied by a high level of prognostic uncertainty, little is known about when and how hematologic oncologists discuss prognosis.
Habib A, Cronin A, Earle C, et al. How do blood cancer doctors discuss prognosis? Findings from a national survey of hematologic oncologists, J Palliat Med, 2019 Mar 23. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2018.0441
- Many decisions are made by patients in their last months of life, and patient decision-making needs are broad and varied. Current patient decision aids insufficiently address their needs. This systematic review outlines five key suggestions to improve patient-focused decision-making support at the end of life.
Phillips, G., Lifford, K., Edwards, A., et al. Do published patient decision aids for end-of-life care address patients’ decision-making needs? A systematic review and critical appraisal. Palliative Medicine. 2019, June. doi:10.1177/0269216319854186
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For your Notice Board
Each month we feature a fact sheet, poster or other resource to print. Furthermore, our promotional resources are available anytime for download.
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Next Newsletter
August 2019
Please forward this newsletter to others who may be interested, subscribe to the newsletter or contact us on eolessentials@flinders.edu.au for any queries.
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