title: The acute hospital setting as a place of death and final care: a qualitative study on perspectives of family physicians, nurses and family carers.
abstract: While the focus of end-of-life care research and policy has predominantly been on 'death in a homelike environment', little is known about perceptions of the acute hospital setting as a place of final care or death. Using a qualitative design and constant comparative analysis, the perspectives of family physicians, nurses and family carers were explored. Participants generally perceived the acute hospital setting to be inadequate for terminally ill patients, although they indicated that in some circumstances it might be a 'safe haven'. This implies that a higher quality of end-of-life care provision in the acute hospital setting needs to be ensured, preferably by improving communication skills. At the same time alternatives to the acute hospital setting need to be developed or expanded.
authors.affiliation: End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel & Ghent University, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels (Jette), Belgium. Electronic address: thijs.reyniers@vub.ac.be.
authors.forename: Thijs
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reyniers
authors.affiliation: End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel & Ghent University, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels (Jette), Belgium. Electronic address: dirk.houttekier@vub.ac.be.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Houttekier
authors.affiliation: End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel & Ghent University, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels (Jette), Belgium. Electronic address: joachim.cohen@vub.ac.be.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research and Expertise Center for Palliative Care, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorstraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: hrw.pasman@vumc.nl.
authors.forename: H Roeline
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Pasman
authors.affiliation: End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel & Ghent University, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels (Jette), Belgium; Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research and Expertise Center for Palliative Care, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorstraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: luc.deliens@vub.ac.be.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deliens
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003422:Critical Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D064648:Critical Care Nursing; D003643:Death; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D017144:Focus Groups; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Hospitals; Location of death; Palliative care; Place of death; Terminal care