ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To improve understanding of nursing home physicians' perspectives regarding end-of-life care, and to suggest directions for further research. METHODS: An exploratory qualitative design based on interviews of 12 nursing home physicians, 10 of whom were medical directors. Medical students served as interviewers. SAMPLE: A purposeful sampling strategy yielded interviews with 12 physicians. The sample was selected based on "intensity sampling," which seeks information-rich but not extreme cases. Ten of the 12 physicians were nursing home medical directors; all respondents practiced at least 4 years part-time or full-time in a nursing home setting. Respondents varied by age, gender, urban/rural location, and fellowship training (half the sample had completed a geriatrics fellowship). Seven physicians were affiliated with an academic medical center. RESULTS: Four themes were identified in the analysis of the 12 interview transcripts: extensive familiarity with dying; consensus is integral to good end-of-life care; obstacles can interfere with consensus; and advance directives set the stage for conversations about end-of-life care. The importance of consensus, both in terms of prognosis and in developing a palliative care plan, emerged as the major finding. CONCLUSIONS: For the 12 physicians in this study consensus about the resident's status and an appropriate care plan are important features of good end-of-life care. Further research is needed to determine if other members of the health care team (i.e., residents, family members, nursing staff, social worker, etc.) also value consensus highly. It will be important to determine what barriers to consensus other team members identify. Based on the understanding generated from this study, a refinement of the general Education for Physicians on End-of-Life Care (EPEC) model describing the relationship between curative and palliative care is proposed for nursing homes. The refinement underscores the points at which the team might consider revisiting consensus about the resident's status and care plan.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Attitude to Death , Medical Staff/psychology , Nursing Homes/organization & administration , Patient Care Planning , Physician Executives/psychology , Terminal Care/standards , Adult , Advance Directives , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Clinical Competence , Consensus , Female , Humans , Interprofessional Relations , Kansas , Male , Medical Staff/standards , Middle Aged , Physician Executives/standards , Terminal Care/psychologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to learn about the role of the nursing home physician, and to begin to identify and articulate key concepts related to the role. DESIGN: A qualitative exploratory methodology was selected. Two medical students interviewed nursing home physicians in person, using open-ended questions. SETTING: The data reflect the nursing home setting. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve physicians who practice full-time or part-time in a nursing home setting were interviewed. Six physicians were fellowship trained and seven were affiliated with an academic medical center. Eight physicians were from an urban area, and four were from a rural area in a Midwestern state. MEASUREMENT: Qualitative data were grouped and coded to develop conceptual categories. RESULTS: Physicians were categorized as "pursuers, inheritors, or practice builders," based on their path to coming to care for nursing home residents. The medical directors among the physicians reported that their role was heavily dependent upon the desires of the nursing home administrator. Students were encouraged to visit many nursing homes to learn about the different ways in which the medical director role can be played out. Physicians reported positive aspects of their role including relationships with residents, families,staff; interesting and meaningful patient care; and autonomy. Less desirable aspects included: staff turnover, difficult expectations, and administrative issues. Although physicians indicated that social and indeed professional stigma are troublesome to people who work in nursing homes, they assured the medical student interviewer that caring for nursing home residents was gratifying and meaningful work. CONCLUSION: The need for physicians to care for the growing number of nursing home residents will continue for decades. Learning more about how physicians come to care for nursing home residents can be used to develop better ways to recruit, train, and retain physicians. Information about what nursing home physicians value about their role can be used to structure more desirable roles.