Browsing by Author "Sinclair, Shane Aaron"

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    An Ethnographic Study of Interprofessional Collaboration in Palliative Care
    (2024-01-09) Forsyth, Erin Christine; Raffin Bouchal, Donna Shelley; Sinclair, Shane Aaron; White, Deborah Elizabeth; Mather, Charles Maurice
    Background: The concept of the modern palliative care movement was initially developed by Cecily Saunders. She believed that the complex emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of dying patients and their families were best met by a team of professionals working together rather than a sole practitioner. Today local, national, and international definitions of palliative care remain grounded in the philosophy established by Saunders, where care is most effectively delivered by an interprofessional team working in a collaborative manner to support patient and family centred goals. Research Aim: The purpose of this study was to better understand the differences in interprofessional collaboration between palliative care teams in different clinical settings. The research questions were: 1) Do palliative care providers believe interprofessional collaboration is important? and 2) What are the contextual factors that act as either facilitators or barriers to the implementation of interprofessional collaboration in practice? Methods: A qualitative ethnographic methodology was used to understand the factors impacting interprofessional collaboration in three separate teams providing palliative care in different settings in a city in Western Canada. Data were collected and analyzed using Carspecken’s five step process for ethnographic research. Participant observation and focus groups were conducted with interprofessional team members responsible for providing direct care for palliative care patients/families. Findings: Five themes emerged from the data: Interprofessional Collaboration: A Central Tenet of Palliative Care; Interprofessional Communication: The Single Most Important Ingredient for Effective Interprofessional Collaboration; Professional Hierarchy Impacts Interprofessional Collaboration; Role Understanding and Valuing Others; and Facilitators and Barriers to Team Function. Discussion: Findings from this study can be used to better understand how individual, professional, and organizational culture impacts teamwork in the delivery of palliative care and supports opportunities for understanding and mitigating the barriers to interprofessional collaboration in palliative care settings. The structure and values of the team impact interprofessional collaboration: how communication is enacted; how the hierarchy of the team influences who is viewed as having the ultimate authority over care; and how role understanding and valuing others drives interactions with other members of the team.
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    The Experiences of Living with Multiple Myeloma and a Palliative Approach to Care
    (2023-09-06) Weerahandi, Ambereen; Sinclair, Shane Aaron; Raffin-Bouchal, Donna Shelley; Watson, Linda Christine; Lemieux, Laurie
    Multiple myeloma is an incurable cancer of the plasma cells of the blood characterized by aggressive physical symptoms including bone damage, pain, renal impairment, and anemias. The average lifespan after receiving a diagnosis of multiple myeloma is approximately seven years. There are many treatments for this disease, but none provide a lasting cure. Of the available treatments, most are associated with severe and, often toxic, cumulative side effects. Individuals with multiple myeloma can experience both disease and treatment related suffering that often goes unacknowledged. A palliative approach to care has been demonstrated to alleviate suffering and can be used in conjunction in with curative therapy. Currently, a palliative approach is rarely utilized for these individuals. Presently, there is very little available literature from the perspective of patients living with multiple myeloma, and few on their experiences with a palliative approach to their care. Straussian Grounded Theory was used to explore a deeper understanding of the process individuals undergo living with multiple myeloma. Qualitative categories that emerged included: the perceived absence of a palliative approach to care, waiting for inevitable relapse, shifting one’s identity, increasing knowledge to gain control over health, struggling with symptom management, continual rebalancing, and dynamic supportive needs. The core category of ‘existing in the liminal space between living with and dying from multiple myeloma represented the overarching process of living with multiple myeloma. Gaining an understanding of this process will increase awareness of how a palliative approach to care can be utilized to help individuals living with multiple myeloma. Keywords: multiple myeloma, palliative care, qualitative research, grounded theory
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    The spirituality of palliative and hospice care professionals: an ethnographic inquiry
    (2009) Sinclair, Shane Aaron; Raffin Bouchal, Shelley; Watson, Lorraine