Browsing by Author "Bull, A. P. A."

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    Advance directives or living wills : reflections of general practitioners and frail care coordinators in a small town in KwaZulu-Natal
    (Medpharm Publications, 2012) Bull, A. P. A.; Mash, B.
    Background: Living wills have long been associated with end-of-life care. This study explored the promotion of living wills by general practitioners (GPs) and frail care nursing coordinators who were directly involved in the care of the elderly in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal. The study also explored their views regarding the pro forma living will disseminated by the Living Will Society. Subjects: Seven GPs and three frail care nursing coordinators; 10 in total. Design: The design was qualitative in-depth interviews and analysis, using the Framework method. Results: Both doctors and nursing staff understood the concept of living wills and acknowledged that they were beneficial to patients, their families and staff. They were concerned about the lack of legal status of the living will. They felt that the pro forma document from the Living Will Society was simple and clear. Despite identifying the low level of living will usage among patients, doctors and nursing staff felt that third-party organisations and individuals should promote living wills to patients, rather than promoting them to patients themselves. Conclusion: GPs and frail care nurse coordinators were knowledgeable about living wills in general, and the Living Will Society pro forma document in particular. They valued the contribution that living wills make to the care of the elderly, as they benefit patients, their families, healthcare workers and the health system. They also valued the pro forma living will document from the Living Will Society for its clarity and simplicity. However, the GPs and frail care nursing coordinators viewed the living will process as patient driven. They viewed their main role to be that of custodians, and not advocates, of the living wills.
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    Advance directives or living wills- some reflections from general practitioners and frail care coordinators in a small town in KwaZulu Natal
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012-12) Bull, A. P. A.; Mash, Bob; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Health Sciences. Dept. of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences.
    Background: - Living wills have long been associated with end-of- life care. This study explored the promotion and use of living wills amongst general practitioners and frail care nursing coordinators directly involved in the care of the elderly in Howick, Kwa-Zulu Natal. The study also explored their views regarding the proforma living will disseminated by the Living Will Society. Participants: - Seven general practitioners and three frail care nursing coordinators, making ten in total. Design: - Qualitative in-depth interviews and analysis, using the Framework method. Results:- Both doctors and nursing staff understood the concept of living wills and acknowledged their varied benefits to patient, family and staff. They were concerned about the lack of legal status. They felt that the proforma document from the Living Will Society was simple and clear. Despite identifying the low level of use of living wills, they felt that third party organisations and individuals should promote living wills Conclusion: - GPs and frail care nurse coordinators were knowledgeable of living wills in general and the Living Will Society proforma document in particular. They valued the contribution that living wills can make in the care of the elderly, benefitting patients, their families, health care workers and even the health system. They also valued the proforma living will document from the Living Will Society for its clarity and simplicity. However, both GPs and frail care nursing coordinators viewed the living will process as patient- driven and their main role was as custodians and not advocates of the living will.