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ERIC Number: EJ977941
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Dec
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0964-2633
EISSN: N/A
End-of-Life Care Policies in Flemish Residential Care Facilities Accommodating Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
D'Haene, I.; Pasman, H. R. W.; Deliens, L.; Bilsen, J.; Mortier, F.; Stichele, R. Vander
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, v54 n12 p1067-1077 Dec 2010
Objective: This article aims to describe the presence, content and implementation strategies of written policies on end-of-life decisions in Flemish residential care facilities (RCFs) accommodating persons with intellectual disabilities (ID), and to describe training, education and quality assessments of end-of-life care. Methods: A cross-sectional mail survey was conducted among general directors of all RCFs accommodating persons with ID (n = 140) in Flanders, Belgium. Institutions were asked to provide us with a copy of their end-of-life care policy documents for content analysis. Results: Of the 140 institutions, 84 (60%) completed the questionnaire and 25 institutions provided 45 policy documents. Presence of policies on specific end-of-life decisions with a possible life-shortening effect lay between 18% (palliative sedation) and 26% (withdrawing or withholding of life-prolonging treatment). The content analysis showed that the focus in the majority of these policy documents is on palliative care, while end-of-life decisions with a possible life-shortening effect are mentioned but rarely elaborated on. Furthermore, few documents incorporate the distinctive features and needs of persons with ID regarding end-of-life care. On the other hand, half of the institutions trained and educated their professional care providers in some aspects of end-of-life care while one-third assessed the satisfaction of residents and families on several of these aspects. However, more than half reported explicitly that they have no plans for such assessments. Conclusions: The presence of end-of-life care policies is low in Flemish RCFs and their content is not very specific for persons with ID. (Contains 5 tables.)
Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Belgium
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A