Consultant in Palliative Medicine
Email: adnk2@medschl.cam.ac.uk | Office: East Forvie Building | ORCID
Background
Arjun undertook medical education at Clare College, Cambridge, where he developed a keen interest in Palliative Medicine under the mentorship of Dr Barclay, undertaking a survey of healthcare professionals practicing in palliative care in the UK and in Kerala, India while on elective. He is now an acting consultant in Palliative Medicine at St Clare Hospice in West Essex, having completed a three-year Academic Clinical Fellowship with the PELiCam Research Group while undertaking specialty training.
Research Interests
Arjun’s main research interests relate to clinically relevant aspects of palliative and end of life care research. Having qualified as a doctor during the period when significant media attention was given to the Liverpool Care Pathway, his research has focused on assisted hydration. He has published a systematic review of the impact of assisted hydration in the last days of life and has completed a qualitative interview study of healthcare professionals’ views and experiences of making decisions and communicating about assisted hydration for dying people. He hopes to continue this line of work with further studies examining the views about assisted hydration of dying people and those close to them, within the context of an MD.
Selected Publications
Kingdon A, Spathis A, Brodrick R, Clarke G, Kuhn I, Barclay S. What is the impact of clinically assisted hydration in the last days of life? A systematic literature review and narrative synthesis. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2020 Oct 12:bmjspcare-2020-002600.
Kingdon A, Spathis A, Bowers B, Barclay S. The known unknowns of assisted hydration at the end of life. Br J Community Nurs. 2021 Jun 2;26(6):284-285.
Kingdon A, Spathis A, Barclay S. Holistic practice and excessively thorough paperwork: a response to Julião et al. Palliative and Supportive Care. 2020 Sep;1-2.
Willmott M, Kingdon A, Barclay S. Comparing Kerala, India and Cambridge, UK: a study of doctors’ and nurses’ attitudes towards palliative care. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2015 Dec;5(5):468-70.