The emotional effects on professional interpreters of interpreting palliative care conversations for adult patients: A rapid review.

BACKGROUND: Professional interpreters working in palliative contexts improve patient care. Whilst literature identifies psychological distress in other healthcare professionals, research into emotional effects on professional interpreters in this highly emotive setting is limited. Isolating emotional responses may enable targeted interventions to enhance interpreter use and improve wellbeing. Timely evidence is needed to urgently familiarise the profession with issues faced by these valuable colleagues, to affect practice. AIM: Describe the emotional effects on professional interpreters of interpreting adult palliative care conversations. Collate recommendations to mitigate negative emotional effects. DESIGN: We performed a rapid review of studies identifying emotional effects on professional interpreters of interpreting adult palliative conversations. Rapid review chosen to present timely evidence to relevant stakeholders in a resource-efficient way. Thematic analysis managed using NVivo. Quality appraisal evaluated predominantly using CASP checklists. Reported using PRISMA guidelines. PROSPERO registration CRD42022301753. DATA SOURCES: Articles available in English on PubMed [1966-2021], MEDLINE [1946-2021], EMBASE [1974-2021], CINAHL [1981-2021] and PsycINFO [1806-2021] in December 2021. RESULTS: Eleven articles from the USA (5), Australia (3), Canada (2) and UK (1). Eight interview-based, two online surveys and one quality improvement project. Themes included (1) Identifying diversity of emotional effects: emotions including stress, discomfort, loneliness. (2) Identifying factors affecting interpreters' emotional responses: impact of morals, culture and role expectations; working with patients and families; interpreter experience and age. (3) Recommendations to mitigate negative emotional effects: pre-briefing, debriefing and interpreter/provider training. CONCLUSION: Professional interpreters experience myriad emotional responses to palliative conversations. Role clarity, collaborative working and formal training may alleviate negative effects.

Attitudes of ward nurses towards the administration of 'as required' injectable medications for symptom control at the end of life.

Background: It is recognised good practice to prescribe 'as required' parenteral medication (ARPM) to provide individualised symptom control in the final days of life. The decision to administer the medication and, sometimes, to decide the dose, usually lies with the nurse. Aims: To explore attitudes towards administration of ARPM at end of life (EOL) among hospital nurses. Methods: The views of registered nurses, recruited from wards with high death rates, were explored through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Questionnaire responses were coded and statistically analysed. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, manually coded and thematically analysed. Results: Almost 50% of questionnaire respondents (n=62) reported feeling 'very confident' in recognising symptoms at the EOL. Only 39% of respondents reported undertaking specific training. Three main themes emerged through the interviews: experience; factors influencing the decision to administer ARPM; and education. Conclusion: Wider accessibility to training may support confident decision making by hospital nurses administering ARPM at the EOL.

Advance Care Planning for Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer: A Retrospective Case Note Audit from a Regional Specialist Center in the United Kingdom.

The extent of Advance Care Planning (ACP) among Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer patients is not well characterized. This retrospective case note audit scrutinized the records of all AYA patients (aged 16-25 years) known to a regional specialist center in the United Kingdom, and who died between 2013 and 2019, for evidence of ACP. Eighty-four patients were included. ACP was identified for 67% of patients. Sixty-four percent expressed a preferred place of death; actual place of death reflected this in 65% of cases. Creation of a bespoke document may help to standardize ACP and improve end-of-life care.

Management of endocrine conditions at the end of life.

An important facet to end-of-life care is deprescribing. This can be challenging when reviewing life-sustaining endocrine medications but, unlike for diabetes, there is no national guidance to support patients and clinicians faced with care planning. This article reviews the limited current evidence to highlight areas for further discussion and research with the aim of moving towards consensus opinion. Discontinuation of certain endocrine medications, including corticosteroids, desmopressin and levothyroxine, is likely to precipitate an 'endocrine-driven mechanism of death', while it may be reasonable to discontinue other endocrine medications without the risk of hastening death or causing unnecessary symptoms. However, the over-arching theme should be that early discussion with patients regarding conversion or discontinuation of endocrine medications or monitoring is central to care planning.

Care of the dying: how do we replace the Liverpool Care Pathway?

INTRODUCTION: Death is an inescapable certainty of life. Variability in care for dying persons, however, is present. The Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) sought to guide care for the last days of life but was phased out after intense scrutiny. SOURCES OF DATA: A governmental report and rapid review of evidence were considered alongside mass and social media reporting. An evidence review of end-of-life care was undertaken. AREAS OF AGREEMENT: Any person's death is inherently challenging. Much consideration must be given to holistic needs when approaching death. Communication skills may be lacking for professional and patient alike. AREAS OF CONTROVERSY: The LCP became flawed in use rather than intention or principle. Seeming financial gains from death were concerning to all. GROWING POINTS: We have responsibility for making choices prospectively in order for them to influence our care when we are dying. Normalization of death is key on both micro- and macro communication levels. AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH: Perceptions of relevant terminology; review of the definition of dying; improved recognition of the dying process and measuring the impact of communication skills training.