TY - JOUR
T1 - Perceptions of trained laypersons in end-of-life or advance care planning conversations
T2 - A qualitative meta-synthesis
AU - Somes, Elizabeth
AU - Dukes, Joanna
AU - Brungardt, Adreanne
AU - Jordan, Sarah
AU - Desanto, Kristen
AU - Jones, Christine D.
AU - Sanghvi, Urvi Jhaveri
AU - Breathett, Khadijah
AU - Jones, Jacqueline
AU - Lum, Hillary D.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health [K76AG054782] and Department of Veterans Affairs. The funders had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, writing of the manuscript, or decision to submit for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 The Author(s).
PY - 2018/8/6
Y1 - 2018/8/6
N2 - Background: Laypersons including volunteers, community health navigators, or peer educators provide important support to individuals with serious illnesses in community or healthcare settings. The experiences of laypersons in communication with seriously ill peers is unknown. Methods: We performed an ENTREQ-guided qualitative meta-synthesis. We conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and AMED to include qualitative studies with data regarding communication and laypersons in advance care planning, palliative care, or end-of-life settings. Study quality was appraised using a standardized tool. The analysis identified key domains and associated themes relating specifically to laypersons' perspectives on communication. Results: Of 877 articles, nine studies provided layperson quotations related to layperson-to-peer communication associated with advance care planning (n = 4) or end-of-life conversations (n = 5). The studies were conducted in United Kingdom (n = 4) or United States settings (n = 5). The synthesis of layperson perspectives yielded five main domains: 1) layperson-to-peer communication, focusing on the experience of talking with peers, 2) layperson-to-peer interpersonal interactions, focusing on the entire interaction between the layperson and peers, excluding communication-related issues, 3) personal impact on the layperson, 4) layperson contributions, and 5) layperson training. Laypersons described using specific communication skills including the ability to build rapport, discuss sensitive issues, listen and allow silence, and respond to emotions. Conclusions: Published studies described experiences of trained laypersons in conversations with peers related to advance care planning or end-of-life situations. Based on these layperson perspectives related to communication, programs should next evaluate the potential impact of laypersons in meaningful conversations.
AB - Background: Laypersons including volunteers, community health navigators, or peer educators provide important support to individuals with serious illnesses in community or healthcare settings. The experiences of laypersons in communication with seriously ill peers is unknown. Methods: We performed an ENTREQ-guided qualitative meta-synthesis. We conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and AMED to include qualitative studies with data regarding communication and laypersons in advance care planning, palliative care, or end-of-life settings. Study quality was appraised using a standardized tool. The analysis identified key domains and associated themes relating specifically to laypersons' perspectives on communication. Results: Of 877 articles, nine studies provided layperson quotations related to layperson-to-peer communication associated with advance care planning (n = 4) or end-of-life conversations (n = 5). The studies were conducted in United Kingdom (n = 4) or United States settings (n = 5). The synthesis of layperson perspectives yielded five main domains: 1) layperson-to-peer communication, focusing on the experience of talking with peers, 2) layperson-to-peer interpersonal interactions, focusing on the entire interaction between the layperson and peers, excluding communication-related issues, 3) personal impact on the layperson, 4) layperson contributions, and 5) layperson training. Laypersons described using specific communication skills including the ability to build rapport, discuss sensitive issues, listen and allow silence, and respond to emotions. Conclusions: Published studies described experiences of trained laypersons in conversations with peers related to advance care planning or end-of-life situations. Based on these layperson perspectives related to communication, programs should next evaluate the potential impact of laypersons in meaningful conversations.
KW - Advance care planning
KW - Communication
KW - Hospice care
KW - Lay health navigators
KW - Palliative care
KW - Peer educators
KW - Terminal care
KW - Volunteers
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U2 - 10.1186/s12904-018-0354-9
DO - 10.1186/s12904-018-0354-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 30081957
AN - SCOPUS:85051055849
VL - 17
JO - BMC Palliative Care
JF - BMC Palliative Care
SN - 1472-684X
IS - 1
M1 - 98
ER -