Background: Palliative needs in older patients are often not timely identified. The Surprise Question (SQ) ‘would I be surprised if this patient died in the next year?’ is a well-researched tool that could aid in this effort. Most studies thus far involved physicians or specialist nurses, however the …

Context: Inadequate handovers between hospital and home can lead to adverse health outcomes. A group particularly at risk is patients at the end of life because of complex health problems, frequent care transitions, and involvement of many professionals.  Objectives: To investigate health care providers' …

Background Family caregivers are crucial in end-of-life care. However, family caregiving may involve a significant burden with various negative health consequences. Although nurses are in a unique position to support family caregivers at home, little is known about which nursing interventions are effective …

Most people in The Netherlands have access to high quality palliative care—multidisciplinary total care aimed at patients’ quality of life when patients have limited life expectancies. All nurses and generalist physicians receive at least basic palliative care training. Nursing home staff is also well …

When patients die relatives and healthcare professionals may appreciate the quality of the dying phase differently, but comparisons are rare. In a cross-sectional study (June 2009–July 2012) the experiences of bereaved relatives, physicians, and nurses concerning the quality of dying in a large Dutch …

The purpose of this study was the psychometric testing of a questionnaire to assess nurses’ opinions, subjective norms, perceived difficulties, and knowledge related to palliative care. The 63-item MOVE2PC Questionnaire was tested among 219 nurses in groups differing in education and experience. The …