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INZICHT: existential questions in palliative care (completed)

  • Duration: 2017-2021
  • Status: completed

For people in the palliative phase, person-centred care by care professionals is important. This implies a combination of attention for physical complaints, existential questions, and environmental factors. To provide such care, patients, relatives and caregivers must understand each other well, while caregivers should also learn from each other.

Description

This project concentrates on the communication between patients, relatives and caregivers, and also between the collaborating caregivers mutually. A tool is developed to help make patients’ experiences more visible and easier to discuss.

 

Carlo Leget, professor of Care Ethics and endowed professor of palliative care, in recent years developed a much-used tool for patients, relatives and caregivers (also known as the Ars Moriendi model or Diamand) to discuss existential issues surrounding end of life. Saskia Teunissen, director of the academic hospice Demeter in De Bilt, developed the so-called Utrechts Symptoom Dagboek (USD; ‘Utrecht Symptom Diary’), which patients can use to indicate their care needs in both somatic and psycho-social respects. This research project merges the two tools to form the ‘Utrecht Symptom Diary-4D’. By validating USD-4D, the existential dimension can be embedded more thoroughly in end-of-life care. 


The 'Utrecht Symptom Diary-4D' consists of questions to the patient about the somatic, psychological, social and spiritual needs that they experience. Each week the patient answers the questions, which then serves as a starting point for a dialogue with caregivers. There are three project phases dedicated to the combination of research, training and implementation.


The full title of this research project is INZICHT project: hetINitiëren en realiseren van dagelijkse ZIngeriCHTe zorg door integratie van het Ars Moriendi model in het Utrecht Symptoom Dagboek tot het USD-4D (‘initiating and realising daily meaning-oriented care by integrating the Ars Moriendi model in the Utrecht Symptom Diary to form the USD-4D’). It is part of the ZonMw-programme Palliantie. Meer dan zorg (Palliative Care: More than Care).


The research project incorporates two PhD programmes, for a nursing professional and a chaplain.  

Researchers

  • Prof. Saskia Teunissen (University Medical Center Utrecht, project leader)
  • Prof. Carlo Leget (UvH)
  • Tom Lormans
  • Everlien de Graaf
  • Frederieke Baan

Partner

UMC Utrecht

(Co-)financing

The project is supported by funding through ZonMw.

Contact

Prof. Carlo Leget, C.Leget@UvH.nl.

For people in the palliative phase, person-centred care by care professionals is important. This project concentrates on the communication between patients, relatives and caregivers. A tool is developed to help make patients’ experiences more visible and easier to discuss.