Health professionals report that the Breathing, Thinking, Functioning (BTF) clinical model increases clinician and patient understanding of chronic breathlessness and provides a simple and structured approach to personalised self-management. Chronic breathlessness is a distressing and debilitating symptom that is becoming widespread as people live longer, often with multiple chronic conditions for long periods of time. […]
Primary care practitioners feel unprepared to manage bereaved patients experiencing complicated grief: findings from a realist review
Blog by Dr Caroline Pearce, research associate at the Palliative & End of Life Care Group, Primary Care Unit, University of Cambridge. Caroline discusses her recent research on complicated grief in primary care. Bereavement is a normal part of life, yet the death of a close family member or friend can have a significant impact […]
Research shows end of life care was not seen as an essential, frontline service in the pandemic
A new report published today shows how palliative and end of life care in the UK was compromised by shortages of PPE, essential medicines, and equipment, because these services were not seen as ‘frontline NHS’ in the pandemic. Better End of Life – a collaboration between Marie Curie, King’s College London Cicely Saunders Institute, Hull York Medical School, […]
COVID-19: Ethical framework for asymptomatic testing of staff in workplaces
Many organisations are using or considering asymptomatic COVID-19 testing programmes for staff in their workplaces. THIS Institute has launched a new ethical framework and checklist to support organisations to think through whether asymptomatic COVID-19 testing for staff is the right option and to support good organisational decision-making. The project brought together the findings of a consultation, […]
A silent epidemic of grief: COVID-19 is leaving both the bereaved and bereavement care practitioners struggling to cope
Drastic changes in bereavement care have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, amid a flood of demand for help from bereaved people, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. The first major study of the pandemic-related changes in bereavement care has found that the switch to remote working has helped some services to reach […]
COVID-19: Asymptomatic testing for students in higher education institutions
The Healthcare Improvement Studies (THIS) Institute has launched a new ethical framework, checklist and resources to support higher education institutions in planning and running asymptomatic COVID-19 testing programmes for students. The team consulted students and staff at the University on ethical issues relating to the asymptomatic COVID-19 testing programme for students. Their views, combined with […]