A phenomenological qualitative study, which has recently been published, shows the difficulties to promote advance care planning process with patients in the end of life. It has focused on Health Management Area North of Jaén, interviewing 14 primary care nurses through intentional sampling.
Thus, researchers have found difficulties related to professionals: lack of knowledge about the topic, lack of communication skills, lack of experience and presence of negative emotions. In addition, in Health institutions, lack of time and interference with other professionals is a barrier. Also the patient´s attitude and the family are indentified as an obstacle because few people speak about the end of life. Finally, our society prevent open discussion about issues related to death.
In this way they have concluded that it is necessary to learn the professionals about advance care planning, training in communicative skills and emotional education. Health managers should consider the fact that early interventions for planning health decisions require training, time and continued attention. If a cultural change does not happen, an evasive way to face the end of life will persist.
The reference to the article is: Granero-Moya N, et al. Primary care nurses’ difficulties in advance care planning processes: A qualitative study. Aten Primaria. 2016;48(10):649-656. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aprim.2016.01.008
