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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 7, Issue 3 (Suppl)
J Palliat Care Med, an open access journal
ISSN: 2165-7386
Palliative Care 2017
June 21- 22, 2017
3
rd
International Conference on
June 21- 22, 2017 | Philadelphia, USA
Palliative Care & Hospice Nursing
TRANSFERRINGDYINGPATIENTSHOMEFROMCRITICALCAREUNITS: FAMILIES’STORIES
OFMAKING THE DECISION
Yanxia Lin
a
, Michelle Myall
a
and
Nikki Jarrett
a
a
University of Southampton, UK
Statement of the Problem:
Evidence suggests many people prefer to die at home rather than in hospitals. However, an integrative
literature review showed it is rare to transfer patients home to die from critical care units in the West but anecdotal evidence suggests
it is more common in mainland China. Yet no published research was found about families’ experiences of this event and the practice
of transfer in mainland China.
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation:
A qualitative study was carried out which comprised a 12-month retrospective audit
and narrative interviews with family members of patients who were transferred home to die. In China, a general intensive care unit
in a southeast tertiary hospital was selected to conduct the audit and recruit family members. First the audit reviewed number and
characteristics of patients who were transferred home to die between 1
st
September 2015 and 31st August 2016. Second, narratives of
families’ transfer experiences were collected through narrative interviews.
Findings:
The audit identified that of 187 dying patients, nearly half (49%) of themwere transferred home to die. Thirteen participants
contributed to in-depth narratives about ten patient transfers. Their relationship to the patient were son (n=6), daughter (n=2),
grandson (n=2), spouse (n=1), cousin (n=1) and daughter-in-law (n=1). Narrative analysis has revealed four themes (See Figure 1)
of family, custom, unsupported decision-making and unmet information needs. The decision of transferring home, as a customary
requirement was made mainly by families with little support and information from healthcare staff.
Conclusion & Significance:
It is usual practice to transfer dying patients home from critical care in China. However, the decision-
making was not always an easy and smooth event for families. Policies to raise awareness of healthcare professionals to support
families’ decision-making around transfer and guidance for this clinical practice should be established in China.
Biography
Yanxia Lin is doing her PhD study of exploring and understanding the practice of transferring dying patient’s home from critical care units. She had worked as a
nurse in a hospital of China for seven years, of which two years were in intensive care unit. The experiences of caring for dying patients and witnessing their families
making the challenging decisions of taking the patients home motivated her to conduct the research. A literature review derived from this study is currently under
revision for an international nursing journal. Yanxia carried out several studies in clinical context of China and had published eight papers before her PhD study.
Beyond research, she also has experience of teaching in the School of Medicine at Xiamen University, and training hospital nurses in regard with clinical nursing
as well as conducting research.
yl8g14@soton.ac.ukYanxia Lin et al., J Palliat Care Med 2017, 7:3(Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2165-7386-C1-008