Perceptions of trained laypersons in end-of-life or advance care planning conversations: a qualitative meta-synthesis
Author
Somes, ElizabethDukes, Joanna
Brungardt, Adreanne
Jordan, Sarah
DeSanto, Kristen
Jones, Christine D.
Sanghvi, Urvi Jhaveri
Breathett, Khadijah
Jones, Jacqueline
Lum, Hillary D.
Affiliation
Univ Arizona, Sarver Heart Ctr, Div Cardiovasc MedIssue Date
2018-08-06Keywords
VolunteersCommunication
Hospice care
Palliative care
Terminal care
Lay health navigators
Advance care planning
Peer educators
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BMCCitation
Somes et al. BMC Palliative Care (2018) 17:98Journal
BMC PALLIATIVE CARERights
© The Author(s). 2018 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
Background: Laypersons including volunteers, community health navigators, or peer educators provide important support to individuals with serious illnesses in community or healthcare settings. The experiences of laypersons in communication with seriously ill peers is unknown. Methods: We performed an ENTREQ-guided qualitative meta-synthesis. We conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and AMED to include qualitative studies with data regarding communication and laypersons in advance care planning, palliative care, or end-of-life settings. Study quality was appraised using a standardized tool. The analysis identified key domains and associated themes relating specifically to laypersons' perspectives on communication. Results: Of 877 articles, nine studies provided layperson quotations related to layperson-to-peer communication associated with advance care planning (n = 4) or end-of-life conversations (n = 5). The studies were conducted in United Kingdom (n = 4) or United States settings (n = 5). The synthesis of layperson perspectives yielded five main domains: 1) layperson-to-peer communication, focusing on the experience of talking with peers, 2) layperson-topeer interpersonal interactions, focusing on the entire interaction between the layperson and peers, excluding communication-related issues, 3) personal impact on the layperson, 4) layperson contributions, and 5) layperson training. Laypersons described using specific communication skills including the ability to build rapport, discuss sensitive issues, listen and allow silence, and respond to emotions. Conclusions: Published studies described experiences of trained laypersons in conversations with peers related to advance care planning or end-of-life situations. Based on these layperson perspectives related to communication, programs should next evaluate the potential impact of laypersons in meaningful conversations.Note
Open access journal.ISSN
1472-684XPubMed ID
30081957Version
Final published versionSponsors
National Institutes of Health [K76AG054782]; Department of Veterans Affairsae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1186/s12904-018-0354-9
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