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Palliative care

Why research is important in palliative care

The right thing being done, by the right person in the right way is incredibly important in any aspect of care.  For people with advanced disease and their families, who may also have a number of services delivering care, the problems they face are often highly complex. It is  vital that research underpins the What, Who? and How? of palliative, supportive and end of life care. Only in this way will we achieve high quality care and outcomes for people and their families that they deserve and demand.   Research must underpin and inform education and in turn education must transform care.  Through CPEP we hope to make that happen and also to raise awareness of the needs of people at the end of life in policy, practice, research arenas and among the general public.

CPEP’s research focus

CPEP will focus on research in four areas:

  • Specialist palliative care practice
  • Taking specialist knowledge and practice into generalist supportive and end of life care
  • Diversity and disadvantage in palliative and end of life care
  • Education in palliative and end of life care

Research interests of local practitioners and academics

  • Jayne Brown commences as Professor in Palliative Care at De Montfort University in May 2012 and with colleagues she has developed the ‘Senses’ framework which uses a relationship-centred approach to improving care.  Her work focuses on decision making at the end of life for older people and developing health care practice.  She is currently engaged in studies relating to decision-making in the use of sedation at the end of life.
  • Sue Dyson is the research lead for the School of Nursing and Midwifery.  Her research focus is centred on nurse education including work exploring the educational experiences of nursing students from diverse ethnic backgrounds
  • Annie Law is a senior nurse in oncology and a research fellow in cancer care.  She has researched into side effects of chemotherapy and has research interests in communication and cancer in the older person.
  • Christina Faull is a Consultant in Palliative Medicine at LOROS and the University Hospitals of Leicester; her research interests include ethnic diversity, innovations in specialist practices and services and education.
  • CPEP has links with research teams across De Montfort University:
  • Professor Mark Johnson at the  Mary Seacole Research Centre www.dmu.ac.uk/faculties/hls/research/msrc/
  • LOROS has a research focus on:
  • Innovative services in specialist palliative care
  • Diversity and disadvantage
  • Education including communication skills
  • Lymphoedema
  • End of life decision making and advance care planning

Palliative care research departments outside the university

  • The Sue Ryder Care Centre for the Study of Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Care at The University of Nottingham www.nottingham.ac.uk/nmp/research/groups/srcc/index.aspx
  • The International Observatory on End of Life Care at the University of Lancaster http://www.lancs.ac.uk/shm/research/ioelc/index.php

Palliative care research websites