Abstract
BackgroundSupport for family carers is a core function of palliative care. Family meetings are commonly recommended as a useful way for health care professionals to convey information, discuss goals of care and plan care strategies with patients and family carers. Yet it seems there is insufficient research to demonstrate the utlility of family meetings or the best way to conduct them. This study sought to develop multidisciplinary clinical practice guidelines for conducting family meetings in the specialist palliative care setting based on available evidence and consensus based expert opinion.MethodsThe guidelines were developed via the following methods: (1) A literature review; (2) Conceptual framework; (3) Refinement of the guidelines based on feedback from an expert panel and focus groups with multidisciplinary specialists from three palliative care units and three major teaching hospitals in Melbourne, Australia.ResultsThe literature review revealed that no comprehensive exploration of the conduct and utility of family meetings in the specialist palliative care setting has occurred. Preliminary clinical guidelines were developed by the research team, based on relevant literature and a conceptual framework informed by: single session therapy, principles of therapeutic communication and models of coping and family consultation. A multidisciplinary expert panel refined the content of the guidelines and the applicability of the guidelines was then assessed via two focus groups of multidisciplinary palliative care specialists. The complete version of the guidelines is presented.ConclusionFamily meetings provide an opportunity to enhance the quality of care provided to palliative care patients and their family carers. The clinical guidelines developed from this study offer a framework for preparing, conducting and evaluating family meetings. Future research and clinical implications are outlined.
Highlights
Support for family carers is a core function of palliative care
Family meetings provide an opportunity to enhance the quality of care provided to palliative care patients and their family carers
The clinical guidelines developed from this study offer a framework for preparing, conducting and evaluating family meetings
Summary
Meetings are commonly recommended as a useful way for health care professionals to convey information, discuss goals of care and plan care strategies with patients and family carers. Meetings between the patient, their family and health care professionals are undertaken for multiple purposes including the sharing of information and concerns, clarifying the goals of care, discussing diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and developing a plan of care for the patient and family carers [2,3,4]. Despite the promotion of family meetings as an essential tool for information sharing and goal clarification in specialist palliative care settings, it has been reported that sparse evidence exists to demonstrate the process for training staff to conduct or participate in them [3]. It has been claimed that there is a dearth of published literature describing when such meetings should be initiated, who should attend them, how they should be conducted and evaluated [5]
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