[Accompanying the end of life and bereavement in oncology: ateam affair. What can we expect from the guidelines?] / Accompagner la fin de vie et le deuil en oncologie : une affaire d'équipe. Qu'attendre des référentiels ?

Supporting a cancer patient up until the end of life and then mourning the loss represents a long, and emotionally marking period that is potentially problematic for health professionals. In addition to individual and environmental characteristics-and related to death or to the relationship prior to death-the communication established between the doctor, patient, family members and other health professionals in the team, seems to determine how an individual experiences the loss and mourning process. Acknowledging the suffering of the bereavement without always being able to respond is neither easy nor trivial, requiring modified/appropriate knowledge and skills. The opportunity to share their experiences within a healthcare team and with external health care professionals guarantees an ethical approach, professional enrichment and limits the risk of burnouts. In order to offer guidance and potential solutions, the references specific to cancerology are regularly updated in France by the AFSOS ("French Association of Supportive Cancer Care"). This multidisciplinary effort, including professionals from different professional societies (AFSOS, SFFPO, SFAP) and coordinated by the cancerology network of Nouvelle Aquitaine (Onco-Nouvelle-Aquitaine), has resulted in the recent publication of two complementary resources that address bereavement. The first report provides theoretical guidelines, while the second proposes a more clinical approach on how to support a mourning individual. Thus, with regards to the clinical situation and contextualization of the aforementioned references, this article considers the dimensions of separation, bereavement, and supportive care and further discusses tools to help health professionals protect themselves when affronting these situations.

Designing adverse event prevention programs using quality management methods: the case of falls in hospital.

OBJECTIVE: From a public health perspective, the effectiveness of any prevention program depends on integrated medical and managerial strategies. In this way, quality management methods drawn from organization and business management can help design prevention programs. The aim of this study was to analyze the potential value of these methods in the specific context of preventing falls in hospital. SETTING: Medical and Rehabilitation Care Unit of Saint-Maurice National Hospital (France). DESIGN: In phase 1, two surveys assessed the context in which falls occurred. The first survey (1995) quantified adverse events during a 1-year period (n = 564) and the second (1996-1997) documented the reasons for falls (n = 53). In phase 2, a set of recommendations to prevent falls was elaborated and implemented throughout the hospital. RESULTS: The fall frequency in this unit was 18.3% in 1995. Analysis showed organizational causes in 35 (66%) of the 53 documented falls; 24 of them were associated with individual factors. Even though the two categories of causes are interdependent, their distinction enables specific recommendations. The proposed organizational management changes recommended do not aim to achieve an illusory objective of 'zero falls', but are designed to reduce the number of avoidable falls and to limit the negative consequences of unavoidable falls. CONCLUSION: Quality improvement methods shed new light on how to prevent falls. An unexploited potential for prevention lies in organization and management of care for hospitalized patients.