A Survey and Qualitative Interview of Parisian Palliative Care Professionals’ Views of End of Life, Death, and Dying (S762)

Abstract

•Compare the organization of the palliative care systems in France and the United States.•Articulate the purpose and significance of the Templer Death Anxiety Scale.•Interpret the difference between a score of 0 and a score of 15 on the Templer Death Anxiety Scale. Among the 191 countries whose healthcare systems were evaluated by the WHO in 2000, France ranked first overall. Also, as the first country to start hospice, France has been instrumental in the promotion and spread of hospice and palliative care (PC). The current researchers wished to explore French PC professionals’ views on end of life; it is hypothesized that these views may be influenced by and in turn influence patient-provider interaction. How do PC professionals' experiences in PC influence their perceptions of end of life? PC professionals from two PC organizations in Paris, France were invited to participate. Participants completed demographics information, the Templer Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), and a semi-structured interview regarding experiences in PC, their patients’ experiences, and personal views about end of life. Demographics and DAS scores were compared using a t-test. Common themes were extracted from the interviews. The IRB at the University of Kansas Medical Center approved this study. 29 PC professionals were interviewed (27 females, 2 males). No statistically significant differences in DAS scores were found in comparisons across age, gender, religion, religiosity, and number of PC patients cared for in the last 2 years. Formal training in PC was the variable closest to statistical significance (P = 0.12); this may be clinically significant. Several common themes arose from analysis of interviews: fear of something other than death, desire for euthanasia, holistic patient care, improvement of quality and quantity of life for PC patients, impact on patients’ families, and a reorganization of PC providers’ life priorities. Formal training in PC may substantially decrease providers’ fear of death, while notably improving quality of life for patients and their families. France may be a model to the world of a successful national system of PC and a holistic patient-centered approach to PC.