Publications

OBJECTIVES: To study changes in the peer consultation practice of assessing assisted dying requests and its quality among trained 'Life End Information Forum' (LEIF) consultants in Belgium between 2008 and 2019.

METHODS: Cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2008 (N=132) and 2019 (N=527) among all registered LEIF consultants.

RESULTS: The response rate was 75% in 2008 and 57% in 2019. In 2019 compared with 2008, more LEIF ...

We conducted a cross-sectional survey measuring the extent and nature of neighborhood participation regarding serious illness, death and loss and the factors that are associated with it. We distributed the survey to 2324 adult citizens in two neighborhoods in Flanders, Belgium, to which 714 citizens responded (response rate 30.7%). Of the respondents, 42.4% participated in at least one action in their neighborhood around serious illness, ...

BACKGROUND: It is unclear when people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their family carers think about their future, what they would prefer in terms of care, and how their ideas change over time.

AIM: Understanding experiences with advance care planning of persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their family carers-and if, when, how, and why these experiences change over time.

DESIGN: A qualitative longitudinal ...

Serious illness, death, and bereavement are common experiences within the work and study context. This study aims to explore the experiences and support needs of university students and staff confronted with serious illness, death, and bereavement. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 21 students and 26 staff. A thematic analysis resulted in three overarching themes: the university as a high-pressure environment; ...

OBJECTIVES: The need for public education on palliative care has been widely argued for. To develop effective educational strategies, a stronger evidence base is needed on what exactly is known and unknown about palliative care as well as what the differences are between subgroups.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional population-based survey. Mail questionnaires were sent to a random sample of 4400 citizens (aged ≥16 years) within ...

This paper aims to 1) describe current levels of Advance Care Planning (ACP) development since 2002 in Belgium, 2) report on challenges and opportunities to inspire other countries with similar contextual characteristics and 3) support further development of ACP practice and research in Belgium. To address these aims, we consulted local researchers, 12 domain experts and (grey) literature (regulatory documents, reports, policy documents and ...

OBJECTIVES: Family caregivers play a vital role in care for people with serious illness. Reliable population-level information on family caregiving is scarce. We describe the socio-demographic and family caregiving characteristics and experiences of family caregivers of people with serious illness in the adult population.

METHOD: We performed a secondary analysis of the cross-sectional population-based 19th Social-Cultural Changes ...

BACKGROUND: To understand how family carers experienced the illness trajectory of their next of kin related to transfers taken place between care settings in palliative care, their experiences and attitude regarding the transfer decision and their experiences regarding patient transfers across settings.

METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were held with 21 family carers. A constant comparative approach was used to analyze data.

OBJECTIVES: Prison populations around the world are ageing and numbers are rising, leading to greater demand for palliative care for prisoners approaching the end of life. This paper reports a survey that was undertaken by the European Association for Palliative Care Task Force on mapping palliative care provision for prisoners in Europe. The Task Force was established to begin to address the gap in research knowledge by exploring prison ...