title: End-of-life care in hematology: update from Australia.
abstract: The purpose of this article is to provide recent findings on the perceptions and experiences about end-of-life care for individuals with a hematological malignancy. A qualitative design based on a series of open-ended interviews and one focus group was utilized to explore and document the experience of survivorship from the perspective of adult patients diagnosed with a hematological malignancy. Fifty participants (n = 26 male; n = 24 female) were interviewed representing the major hematological diagnostic groups: Multiple Myeloma, Lymphoma, and Leukemia. The interviews and focus group were recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and thematically analyzed. The findings presented are from the participants' experiences with end-of-life care. The findings indicated that those fortunate enough to know about the benefits of palliative care are more likely to access palliative care during end-of-life care. However, for many hematology patients there are still problems with timely referrals to the palliative system. Within the context of an Australian research program, the findings provide a useful "snapshot" of current issues for Australian hematology patients and their families.
authors: Population & Social Health Program, Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. pmcgrathgu@gmail.com
authors: Pam
authors: P
authors: McGrath
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D033262:Narration; D010166:Palliative Care; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012944:Social Support; D012947:Social Work; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology