Nadia Pacurari Postdoc - University of Basel |
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01.07.2019-21.08.2019
Facilitating decision making in end-of-life: A study in Swiss and Romanian pediatric oncology settings
The objectives of this study are to: (1) explore palliative care definitions and culture in Swiss and Romanian Pediatric Oncology Centers to understand how decisions to stop curative treatment are made, (2) identify existing national and international end-of-life decision making guidelines, explore whether palliative care protocols are available for pediatric oncology settings in other countries, and assess their appropriateness and possibility for implementation, (3) confront stakeholders with existing decision-making about palliative care and about attitudes towards end-of-life situations and discuss further needs and possible solutions, (4) work on developing a comprehensive guideline to help healthcare providers in tackling this sensitive issue of decision making at the end-of-life of children suffering from cancer.
The analysis of guidelines will permit to integrate national and international perspectives. Focus groups (FG) are an efficient and sensitive way to facilitate exchange between the different stakeholders and professional groups involved. A qualitative approach (FG) is necessary to explore the clinical, ethical and emotional aspects in sufficient depth.