June/July 2024 News Digest from PACED

How do nurses reduce the intensity of separation feelings between hospitalised patients and their families? 

This review provides an excellent overview of strategies implemented by nurses alone or in collaboration with other healthcare professionals to alleviate separation. The study analyses articles published in English or French from March 2020 to September 2023, covering experiences in various hospital settings, including maternity, psychiatric, therapeutic, surgical wards, and intensive and palliative care units.
Nurses worldwide employed various methods to support patients and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. They facilitated virtual interactions, supported physical visits, and made exceptions to visitor restrictions, particularly in palliative, paediatric, and neonatal intensive care. These actions highlight the crucial role of nurses in ensuring family-centred care, even when hospital policies do not always support such practices.

Sexual health and palliative care. Why not all patients experience sexual dysfunction with incurable illness?

If a person lives with an incurable disease for a long time, this can significantly affect their intimate life. But even in such circumstances, sexual health and intimacy remain important to patients.
The authors of the study found that not all patients undergoing palliative care report a significant deterioration in sexual function. Read about how this is related to the performance status assigned to the patient by doctors at the link below.
The researchers also conclude that medical professionals need additional training on the topic of sexual health. Patients often want to talk to doctors about their perception of their body and sexuality, but at best, only physical problems are discussed in medical practice, which, of course, cannot be called full support and information for a terminally ill person.

Creating memories. Supporting families facing the loss of a child in palliative care

The article discusses various ways to create memories for children and families receiving paediatric palliative care. It emphasises the importance of emotional and psychosocial support, including creating physical and digital keepsakes to help families maintain a connection with the deceased child. The needs for care and support vary significantly depending on the child’s age, developmental stage, and condition. For example, younger children may need more family involvement in activities like making memory boxes, while teenagers may engage more independently in hobbies and school-related activities. Understanding these differences ensures that activities are tailored to effectively support infants, children, young people, and their families.
Researchers aim to identify and organise existing methods, evaluate their effectiveness, and address gaps to improve the quality of life and support for children and their families.

Virtual reality (VR) technology comes to hospices: how can it help patients?

Immersive 360-degree virtual experiences can assist hospice patients who are unable to visit their favourite places due to illness or frailty. This is the hypothesis of the article’s authors, who included patients with terminal diagnoses in their study to examine how VR impacts their existential pain. Virtual tours may also support informal caregivers, such as spouses or friends, who experience significant physical and emotional stress while providing care. The researchers emphasise the importance of non-pharmacological methods to alleviate physical, psychological, and spiritual suffering in patients and their loved ones.

Can grief be “done right”?  The Grief Guide

The profession of end-of-life doula continues to evolve. Doulas are sought for moral, physical, and spiritual support during the most vulnerable and challenging moments of life: dying and grieving. To better understand end-of-life processes and engage more consciously with the dying and grieving, a Russian-language informational resource on end-of-life doulas was created a few years ago. This resource offers a valuable tool – the Grief Guide. Palliative care professionals can use it in their work with grieving loved ones as well as with patients themselves.