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Background: As modern medicine extends the life expectancy of patients with life-limiting illnesses and health system resource pressures intensify, palliative care physicians increasingly need to transfer stable patients from specialist palliative care units to nursing homes. The experience of palliative care physicians in decision-making and communicating with patients and families about the need for this transition is underexplored in the literature. Aim: This study aimed to explore the experiences of and communication techniques used by palliative care physicians as they consider and discuss nursing home placements for their patients. Design: A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews was used. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Setting/participants: Purposive sampling was used to recruit 18 Australian palliative care physicians known for their interest or strength in communication skills across a range of palliative care settings. Results: Themes emerged from domains of physician experience (abandonment, systemic pressures, prognostic uncertainty, exacerbation of loss, and restoring resilience) and communication strategies (forecasting, checking in, provide context, and acknowledging grief). Conclusion: This study highlights the tension Australian palliative care physicians experience when transferring palliative care patients to nursing home and the complexity involved in decision-making. Physicians identified several communication strategies to engage patients and families to ease the transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dying physicians may present unique challenges to palliative care teams. Studies of dying physicians are scarce, but those that exist suggest a potential absence of a coordinating clinician, prolongation of curative treatments, resistance to palliative care input and barriers to discussing psychosocial needs. Aim: The aim was to describe and examine the care provided to physician-patients referred to an Australian palliative care service, and to identify issues faced by the physician-patient and by the treating team. Design and participants: A retrospective case-note audit of the case notes of medical practitioners referred for palliative care and dying between January 2007 and April 2013 was conducted. Results: There was evidence of medically qualified friends or family members initiating referrals and directing treatment decisions. There was some evidence of increased consultant-led decision-making and bypassing of usual referral pathways and systems for providing after-hours advice and calling consultants directly. There also appeared to be some reluctance by junior doctors to make decisions, because of the patient’s desire for consultant-level advice only. Conclusion: This study adds to the growing body of literature that identifies the potential difficulties associated with caring for medical practitioners. By understanding some of the complexity of this particular doctor–patient relationship, clinicians can approach the management of physician-patients facing the end of their lives with a more sound understanding of their particular care needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on a study on the role of doctors in helping dying cancer patients to achieve peace. The study aimed at understanding the features of a peaceful patient and preferences of patients about the role of the doctor in facilitating peace. The study was conducted on 15 dying cancer patients. It is concluded that communication from doctors on prognosis can promote spiritual well-being in cancer patients.

The article reports a study which discusses the effects of an individualized training program regarding end-of-life communication on the doctor's acceptability, confidence and communication skills in hospital settings. The results revealed that the training was useful for the doctors. It was also observed that significant improvements were found in doctor's communication skills and sense of personal accomplishment after the program.