Clinical staff perceptions on the quality of end-of-life care in an Australian acute private hospital: A cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Objective: To explore the perceptions of clinical staff on the quality of end-of-life care in an acute private hospital. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of clinical staff in an acute private hospital were surveyed using a validated end-of-life survey. Data from the surveys were analysed using descriptive statistics for quantitative responses and inductive content analysis for the open-ended responses. Results: Overall, 133 staff completed the survey. Of these, 107 had cared for a dying patient in the hospital. In total, 87.6% of participants felt confident in their ability to recognise a dying patient and 66.7% felt confident in their ability to talk to the patient and family. Almost one-third had not received specific training in the area. Conclusions: Hospitals need to take the lead in ensuring end-of-life care processes are embedded across clinical areas. This includes providing staff with end-of-life care education and support in the delivery of end-of-life care. These strategies will facilitate safe and quality end-of-life care, including better collaboration between patients, families and staff. What is known about the topic?: Key to providing quality end-of-life care in hospitals are strategic guidelines that support good clinical governance and adequately trained staff to deliver the care. What does the paper add?: This study highlights the importance of clinical staff in all areas having skills and confidence in providing care to dying patients and their families. What are the implications for practitioners?: It is important that all health practitioners implement strategies to overcome gaps in staff education and support, to ensure all patients and families receive quality end-of-life care.