Developing practical knowledge of end-of-life care in nursing homes

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24530779
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Social welfare and social work studies
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology
• Principal Investigator: Shimada Chiho 地方独立行政法人東京都健康長寿医療センター(東京都健康長寿医療センター研究所), 東京都健康長寿医療センター研究所, 研究副部長 (30383110)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): TAKAHASHI Ryutaro 地方独立行政法人東京都健康長寿医療センター(東京都健康長寿医療センター研究所), 東京都健康長寿医療センター研究所, 研究員 (20150881)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 終末期ケア / 高齢者 / 施設ケア / リフレクション / 経験学習

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Because of the nature of end-of-life (EOL) care process in which elderly patients, their families, and physicians are involved with different ideas about life and death, it is difficult to define a single criterion for “good” EOL care. The concept of reflection originated with Dewey was used as a key of EOL care improvement. In addition to this key concept, the mutual validation step was thought to be essential. We developed Collaborative Reflection Program, in which participants review and learn from their end-of-life care experiences together. The participants, who were working as care workers and nurses in nursing homes, became confident of EOL care through the experiential learning cycle. The multi-institutional Program can be motivated to engage in EOL caregiving with confidence. The results suggest that collaborative reflection is efficient in order to maintain care professionals’ motivation for providing and improving EOL care.

Free Research Field

終末期ケア