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An Insight Into the Delivery of a Palliative Approach in Residential Aged Care: The General Practitioner Perspective

¹ Cancer Australia, Canberra, Australia
² Curtin University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
³ University of Sydney, Australia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jane.phillips{at}optusnet.com.au.

	Abstract

Managing the complex care needs of older people is a global concern. General practitioners (GPs) play a pivotal role in aged care, yet little is known about their capacity to provide palliative care in nursing homes. This study aimed to investigate GPs’ perceptions and understanding of a palliative approach. A convenience sample of rural GPs (n = 13) participated in a series of three focus groups undertaken in August, 2005. These focus groups were all audio-taped, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Four key themes emerged: uncertainty about a palliative approach, a need to reorientate providers, the challenges of managing third parties, and making it work and moving forward. These preliminary findings suggest that integrating a palliative approach in aged care requires GPs to have a greater awareness of this paradigm and to be more effectively engaged in multidisciplinary care planning.

First published on February 9, 2009, doi:10.1177/0733464808328607

Journal of Applied Gerontology 2009;28:395.

A more recent version of this article appeared on June 1, 2009


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