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Most motor neurone disease (MND) patients die of respiratory system complications. When patients have advanced disease with symptoms of respiratory failure, management issues can become complicated by the introduction of assisted ventilatory devices. Therefore, care provision by a multidisciplinary team must be structured and co-ordinated in order to ensure that patients and their carers receive the optimal level of care. The objective of this article is to review the literature and explore the complex issues surrounding the use of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in home care MND patients as a justification for the development of a management guideline for medical practitioners. A guideline for multidisciplinary care of home ventilated MND patients will be proposed.

Despite an increased uptake of the GOC form, overall use remained low, written completion was poor, and most quantitative outcomes remained statistically unchanged. Further research is required before a wider GOC implementation can be supported in Australia's healthcare systems.

IntroductionIn partnership with Cancer Council Western Australia (WA), the East Metropolitan Health Service in Perth, WA has developed a clinical simulation training programme ‘Talking Together’ using role play scenarios with trained actors as patients/carers. The aim of the training is to improve clinicians’ communication skills when having challenging conversations with patients, or their carers, in relation to goals of care in the event of clinical deterioration.Methods and analysisA multisite, longitudinal mixed-methods study will be conducted to evaluate the impact of the communication skills training programme on patient, family/carer and clinician outcomes. Methods include online surveys and interviews. The study will assess outcomes in three areas: evaluation of the ‘Talking Together’ workshops and their effect on satisfaction, confidence and integration of best practice communication skills; quality of goals of patient care conversations from the point of view of clinicians, carers and family/carers; and investigation of the nursing/allied role in goals of patient care.Ethics and disseminationThis study has received ethical approval from the Royal Perth Hospital, St John of God and Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committees. The outputs from this project will be a series of research papers and conference presentations.

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BackgroundAppropriate and timely goals of patient care (GoPC) discussions are associated with improved health outcomes near the end-of-life among patients with serious illness, however, acute care clinicians report a lack of training in conducting GoPC conversations.ObjectivesA half-day GoPC communication workshop for acute care clinicians was delivered and evaluated. Participants were instructed in the use of communication frameworks and practiced skills in clinical scenarios with a simulated patient.MethodExpert facilitators guided feedback towards learner identified goals during simulated GoPC discussions. Self-reported confidence in communication skills was measured with a pre-post questionnaire, which was repeated 2 months following the workshop.Results50 clinicians completed the workshop and questionnaire. A mean improvement in confidence in communication skills of 35% (p<0.001) was identified following participation, which remained elevated at 2 months (p<0.001). All participants responded that they would recommend the workshop to a colleague, and more than two-thirds went on to share their learnings with other clinicians.ConclusionThe use of a simulated patient, communication frameworks and an expert facilitator were associated with durable improvement in confidence in GoPC communication among acute care clinicians. A half-day workshop was feasible and acceptable to participants.

ObjectiveAdvance care planning (ACP) is an important part of routine medical care. However, Western Australia (WA) consistently demonstrates poor rates of completion. International and interstate ACP programs have previously led to an increase in ACP discussion and documentation. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of a multifaceted intervention on completion of ACP in a geriatric outpatient setting in WA.MethodsThe Plan‐Do‐Study‐Act (PDSA) cycle was used for this audit. The components of the intervention comprised of education and communication skill training, improving access to ACP documents and patient resources. Pre‐ and post‐intervention reviews of documented future care planning discussions were performed and compared.ResultsOf the 100 patients audited, there was an absolute increase of 23% (p = 0.02) in any form of future care planning. More specifically, discussions regarding ACP increased by 13% (p = 0.01), Advance Care Directive (ACD) by 23% (p < 0.001), Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) by 24% (p = 0.02), Enduring Power of Guardianship (EPG) by 31% (p = 0.002), together with a 10% (p = 0.02) increase in the provision of ACP resources to patients. Older patient age (p = 0.02) and abnormal cognitive testing (p = 0.02), but not established dementia, were patient‐related factors associated with initiation of ACP discussions.ConclusionsA simple structured multifaceted intervention improved the uptake of ACP discussions in a hospital geriatric clinic.

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