Massey Documents by Type

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/294

Browse

Subject: search.filters.subject.Palliative treatment

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Exploring the psychosocial needs of Tongan families in Hospice care : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Psychology with endorsement in Health Psychology) at Massey University, Albany Campus, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Pulu-Lakai, Veisinia
    Caring for a loved one with a life-threatening illness has a great impact on the carer's psychosocial wellbeing. In Aotearoa-New Zealand, Tongan families are accessing hospice care; however, limited to no research has been conducted on their experiences of hospice care particularly regarding their psychosocial needs. Therefore, this qualitative study explores the psychosocial needs of Tongan families in hospice care to identify strategies that can help improve palliative care and support for Tongan family carers. This study employs the Tongan Kakala methodological framework as a methodology within the growing suite of Pacific methodologies. Within the Kakala framework, the talanoa (Tongan way of dialogue) is a tool utilized to gather data. Five participants are involved in this study who were primary family carers of Tongan heritage who accessed hospice care and resided in Auckland. A total of five family-based talanoa sessions were completed, transcribed and analysed through thematic analysis. As a result, five psychosocial needs linked to caregiving were identified: limited knowledge and information regarding hospice care, ineffective communication by health professionals, lack of engagement by health professionals, dissatisfaction with spiritual support provided by hospice care, and lack of discussion and shared planning for future health care. Recognizing the Tongan family carers’ psychosocial needs led to identifying strategies that would help provide optimal palliative care support for Tongan families in hospice care. This includes hospice service providing care in a way that is culturally sensitive and competent for the family carers, delivering culturally appropriate education about hospice care, employing Tongan health professionals, and increasing engagement by health professionals. Implementing these strategies would help reduce the psychosocial burden of caregiving and lead to better health outcomes for both the Tongan family carers and patients.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    An evaluation of Qol-Steps : idiographic assessment of quality of life for patients in palliative care : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1999) Jardine, Andrew
    The primary objective of this study was to evaluate an assessment tool that would enable patients in palliative care to communicate their individual quality of life(QoL) concerns. An examination of existing QoL assessment instruments suggested that most were based upon assumptions more appropriate for research on groups of patients. Such assessment can be classified as standard needs measures. While useful for comparing patients at the aggregate level, standard needs approaches to assessing QoL may not be useful in clinical situations. Instead, an idiographic approach to the assessment of QoL was adopted and it is the development of a particular instrument, called QoL-Steps, which forms the basis for this study. QoL-Steps used a graphical procedure that enabled patients to nominate their important personal aspects of quality of life, rank these aspects in order of importance, and rate the current and ideal levels of each aspect in two different time periods. The data from a sample of 42 out-patients of a hospice programme, highlighted the variability that would be expected from an idiographic approach to the assessment of individual patients. Results from Qol-Steps suggest that the instrument is a viable tool. QoL-Steps provided a wide range of variability for patients, in terms of content, difference scores, rankings and patterns of change. Importantly, many patients saw QoL-Steps as a means of communicating their unique needs within an individual context.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Dying to know : a qualitative study exploring nurses' education in caring for the dying : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Adult Education) at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2004) Davenport, Faye Alison
    This qualitative study explored how Registered Nurses with experience of caring for the dying share their knowledge and skills with new graduate nurses in the clinical setting. The Research Questions were: What clinical knowledge/skills do 'expert' Registered Nurses possess that allow them to care competently and confidently for patients in their final forty-eight hours of life? How might these experienced nurses most effectively share their knowledge/skills with new graduate nurses in the clinical setting? The aims of the study were, firstly to describe the clinical experiences of Registered Nurses with expertise in care of the dying in a variety of practice settings. Secondly, to develop a written document whereby experienced nurses can share their knowledge/skills of care of the dying with new graduate nurses (as a supplement to the findings of this study). The data was collected in terms of demographic information, and a single semi-structured interview was conducted with each participant. Each participant was also asked to complete a written clinical narrative. The data was analysed using Luborsky's method of thematic analysis. The interview transcripts were read and reread and similar topics were grouped as phrases and coded as themes. The major themes were described in detail using excerpts from the interviews and narratives of the participants. Clinical stories of practice shared by the participants in their interviews are included with the clinical narratives in the Resource Document. There was a strong emphasis in the findings of this study on one-to-one sharing between the experienced and new graduate nurse throughout the dying process. The sharing was in the hands-on care provided, stories of experience and reflection on the care given. The concept of 'care pairs', the use of resource nurses and the resource document discussed in the recommendations could be used in a variety of clinical settings.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Te tatau o te pō : perceptions and experiences of palliative care and hospice -- a Māori perspective : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Koti, Diane Maureen
    Palliative care and hospice service demand in New Zealand is predicted to increase, due to New Zealand's growing and ageing population. The Maori population is youthful, and ageing at a faster rate than non-Maori. Maori currently under utilise palliative care and hospice services, compared to non-Maori, but given the growing population, they will potentially be high future users of these services. Consequently, palliative care and hospice services, facilities, and health professionals must ensure they are competent to meet the needs of Maori. This project investigates Maori experiences and perceptions of palliative care and hospice services. Three Maori palliative care patients and four whanau members, were recruited. A kaupapa Maori (Maori cultural ideologies) approach underpins this research project, and uses purakau (Maori narratives) to illustrate the participants’ discussions. In-depth interviews were conducted, transcribed, and thematically analysed, exploring how they navigated their journey through palliative care and hospice services. Particular interest lies in their personal experiences and perceptions of whether palliative care and hospice meets their Maori cultural needs, and identifying any influential barriers or benefits. The findings were presented under five primary themes: 'Something is wrong', 'Knowledge and understanding', 'Hospice', 'Te ao hurihuri: Changing times', and 'Te tatau o te po: The door of the night'. The interpretation of the results highlighted the diversity between the participants' expectations, perceptions, and experiences of palliative care and hospice. Through interviewing these Maori patients and their whanau, their intimate purakau have established a foundation for further investigation of palliative care and hospice services for Maori. This research will not only contribute to the limited literature existing on Maori and palliation, but it will also provide a voice for those interviewed.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Staff perceptions of how music therapy can support palliative care patients in a New Zealand / Aotearoa hospice, with a particular focus on spiritual care : a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music Therapy at the New Zealand School of Music, Wellington
    (Massey University, 2011) Squires, Keryn
    The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of staff from a hospice, in New Zealand / Aotearoa, regarding the use of music therapy in the care of dying patients. The study has a particular focus on spiritual aspects of palliative care in music therapy, as spirituality is an inherent aspect of the work done by caregivers in palliative care. Hospice staff were asked to reflect on what they knew and understood of music therapy before, and after, a music therapy student arrived at the hospice, and their narratives were explored to uncover the links between patients, music and spirituality. The aim of this was to identify what might be needed to increase knowledge, to improve referral processes, and to increase opportunities for collaborative team work. A cross-section of staff, i.e. two nurses, one doctor, an occupational therapist, and a counsellor, who were part of the palliative care team, were recruited to participate in two semi-structured interviews to discuss their perceptions of the potential for music therapy to support the spiritual needs of hospice patients. A qualitative approach was employed and narrative analysis was used to interpret the interviews. Narrative research emphasises the language of human understanding and in this research it involved gathering participants’ ‘stories’ of their evolving perceptions over time. Findings suggest the language used to describe spiritual care in music therapy was different for each participant although common meanings were drawn from the participants’ stories. Commonalities included: music therapy in the hospice was valued by the participants; some participants would like more knowledge to make an informed referral. In addition, staff understanding appeared to have increased over time partly due to educational seminars, sharing at team meetings, actual exposure to music therapy, informal conversations with staff, and participants’ growing knowledge of music therapy through their own personal process of learning.