Perceptions of Care Professionals towards Terminally Ill Patients and Palliative Care

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
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1RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Topic: Perceptions of care professionals towards terminally ill patients and evaluating the
essence of palliative care
Introduction:
According to a report published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2019), it has
been mentioned that terminal illnesses in Australia have emerged as a leading cause of death.
The report has further stated that the leading terminal illnesses include Alzheimer’s disease,
Ischemic heart disease, stroke, dementia as well as different types of cancer (Kelley &
Morrison, 2015). Research studies suggest that on an average approximately 145, 000 cases
of cancer are identified in Australia annually and the number is anticipated to rise up to 150,
000 by the end of 2020 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2019). Further, it has also
been predicted that 1 out of every 2 Australian men as well as women would be detected
suffering from cancer by the age of eighty five years (Australian Institute of Health and
Welfare, 2019). Considering the disease burden associated with terminal illness, palliative
care services are widely used in Australia. The prime objective of the palliative care approach
is to alleviate the standard of life of the patients that are dealing with a terminal progressive
illness disorder that has negligible prospect of recovery. The palliative care concept has
developed through the years according to the critical needs of the patient and also requires a
skilled set of care professionals who are proficient to deliver effective care to patients.
Background:
As per the report furnished by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2019), it
has been mentioned that approximately 77,369 hospitalizations occurred in between 2016 to
2017 on account of palliative care related causes. Further, the report also stated that on an
average 51.6% of the patients who died because of suffering from terminal illness received
palliative care services (Quill & Abernethy, 2013). As stated by Palliative and Committee

2RESEARCH PROPOSAL
(2013), the objective of palliative care includes specialized medical services that are offered
to patients suffering from a chronic and limiting illness. The primary objective of the care is
to foster relief from the physical health symptoms and psychological burden associated with
the limiting illness. The primary goal for the care professionals is to improve the quality of
living for both the patient as well as the family-members of the patient. In addition to this, it
is important to consider that palliative care service is generally provisioned by a
multidisciplinary team of health-care professionals that include physicians, nurses and other
specialized care-professionals who practice collaboratively to offer support to the patient. The
core outcomes associated with palliative care include improvement in terms of quality of life,
collaborative practice with the patient, family members of the patients as well as the
multidisciplinary team and establishing an effective communication rapport. Research studies
suggest that effective education and training is integral for care professionals in order to
promote quality outcome (Lynch et al., 2013; Slocum-Gori et al., 2013). Also, while dealing
with terminally ill patients, it is integral for nurses to show empathy and engage in a positive
rapport with the patients.
Research Question:
Therefore, on analysing the available background information, the research question
for this proposal can be formulated as:
‘What are the perceptions of care professionals towards patients with terminal illness and
evaluating the essence of palliative care?’
Problem statement:
End of life care is relatively a novel concept in the health- care system and it aims to
improve the quality of life of the patient affected by the limiting choice of illness. The focus
of the care approach is to improve the quality of life of the family- members of the patient. It

3RESEARCH PROPOSAL
should be stated in this context that care professionals involved in the service-provision of
end of life care services either specialize in the care service or assist with palliative assistance
as a part of the regular job role. As stated by Slocum-Gori et al. (2013), the concept of
palliative care provision places the patient at the core of the care process and accordingly care
professionals make use of specific skills and knowledge in order to improve the standard of
life of the patients. However, it should be noted that care professionals are often confused and
lack clear understanding about the essence of palliative care and how it is different from
hospice care. This suggests the need to conduct a research on the evaluation of perceptions of
care professionals towards terminally ill patients and the concept of palliative care.
Literature findings:
Care professionals engaged in the process of delivering palliative care must ensure
comfort of the patients and at the same time must also consider the wellness of the affected
patient across the physiological, psychosocial and emotional as well as the spiritual domains
of care. Palliative care is not only restricted to the improvement of the standard of life for the
patient but at the same time considers the wellness of the family members to effectively deal
with the disease burden and psychological trauma of witnessing their loved one suffer (Hui et
al., 2013). According to the report published by the World Health Organization (2019), it has
been stated that on an average every year almost forty million people require palliative care,
out of which palliative care is only accessed by only 14% people. Research studies further
mention that lack of appropriate understanding and training in association with end of life
care has served like a major barrier that limit accessibility to palliative care (Lynch et al.,
2013). As stated by Dumanovsky et al. (2016), early referral to palliative care can
significantly reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and unnecessary use of medical health care
services. As per the report published by the World Health Organization (2019), end of life
care is recognized as an important human right and it is expected that care professionals