A narrative literature review of the contribution of volunteers in end-of-life care services

Morris, Sara; Wilmot, Amanda; Hill, Matthew D.; Ockenden, Nick; Payne, Sheila

doi:10.1177/0269216312453608

Cited by 68 publications

(102 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…In line with previous literature (e.g., Addington-Hall and Karlsen 2005; ClaxtonOldfield and Banzen 2010; Claxton-Oldfield and ClaxtonOldfield 2007; Morris et al 2012;Garbay et al 2014;Stelzer and Lang 2014), we find that the typical hospice volunteer in our sample is female (200 out of 223), married (164 out of 223), older than 56 years (116 out of 223) and is retired (101 out of 223). 1 These similarities in individual characteristics suggest that our sample of respondents is representative for the group of hospice volunteers at a national and international level as well.…”

Section: Definition Of Variables and Data Collectedsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…We are aware that our results only hold for a selected sample, namely volunteers in hospice services. According to previous literature (e.g., Morris et al 2012;Stelzer and Lang 2014), hospice volunteers differ significantly in their individual characteristics and motives from volunteers in general. This implies that the findings regarding the promoting factors for voluntary labour supply may only hold for hospice volunteers and are not generalizable to volunteers in general.…”

Section: Limitations Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 96%

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The supply side of volunteering in Austrian hospice services: determinants of sustainable voluntary engagement

2015

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Aim Voluntary engagement is a complex social phenomenon that covers work performed without monetary compensation thus creating, on one hand, benefits for volunteers and, on the other hand, social output that would otherwise require paid resources. In this paper, we focus on the role of motives and motive fulfilment and empirically examine their influence on the voluntary engagement in hospice services. Subject and methods This empirical analysis is based on a survey of 223 volunteers of the Austrian Hospice Services. The questionnaire takes findings of economic and psychological literature into account, which enable us to achieve a profound knowledge of the determinants of a sustainable voluntary labour supply. Results Our results show that voluntary labour supply is crucially determined by motives and motive fulfilment. While altruistic motivation lengthens tenure, the fulfilment of altruistic motives negatively influences tenure. Volunteers that are egoistically motivated generally show a shorter duration of employment, whereas if their egoistic motives are fulfilled their tenure increases. Conclusions Our results create an understanding of voluntary labour supply in Austrian hospice services. These findings are helpful for the human resource management in hospices since they provide relevant information for the recruitment but also the retention of the volunteer workforce.

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Section: Definition Of Variables and Data Collectedsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Limitations Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 96%

The supply side of volunteering in Austrian hospice services: determinants of sustainable voluntary engagement

2015

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“…Furthermore it could be argued that the 6% improvement in care satisfaction found in hospice program that provided more volunteer hours in direct care may not be clinically relevant. Given the larger qualitative literature exploring the motivations and characteristics of being a volunteer in palliative care (Morris et al, 2013) we were surprised to find only two relevant qualitative studies that we could include.…”

Section: Strengths Challenges and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Existing reviews take a broader or a different focus on the literature (Morris et al, 2013;Pesut et al, 2012;Wilson et al, 2005). For example, consideration of the evidence in regards to practice and organisation (Morris et al, 2013), and these reviews lack methodological inclusion criteria and quality assessment of included studies. Reporting methodological design features and assessing the conduct of included studies is important, without these the reader cannot differentiate between stronger and poorer evidence (Higgins and Green, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does involving volunteers in the provision of palliative care make a difference to patient and family wellbeing? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative evidence

Candy

Low

Sampson

2015

International Journal of Nursing Studies

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Further research is needed to ensure the resource of volunteers in palliative care is used appropriately and effectively. Evaluation in well-designed comparative studies is recommended including economic analyses, as are further qualitative studies to explore the roles, benefits and possible adverse effects of volunteers. Evaluation is particularly needed outside of North America and in dedicated hospice facilities.

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“…16 Studies have provided a general overview of the volunteer role, including 'listening and responding,' 17 socializing, and enhancing the quality of patients' lives. 18 However, published data on what volunteers do are limited, other than a survey of 219 U.K. palliative care services, which provided an overview of the percentages of volunteers involved by care setting, 15 and a case study of one U.K. hospice.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Volunteers in Specialist Palliative Care: A Survey of Adult Services in the United Kingdom

Burbeck

Low

Sampson

et al. 2014

Journal of Palliative Medicine

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Background: Worldwide, the demand for specialist palliative care is increasing but funding is limited. The role of volunteers is underresearched, although their contribution reduces costs significantly. Understanding what volunteers do is vital to ensure services develop appropriately to meet the challenges faced by providers of palliative care. Objective: The study's objective is to describe current involvement of volunteers with direct patient/family contact in U.K. specialist palliative care. Design: An online survey was sent to 290 U.K. adult hospices and specialist palliative care services involving volunteers covering service characteristics, involvement and numbers of volunteers, settings in which they are involved, extent of involvement in care services, specific activities undertaken in each setting, and use of professional skills. Results: The survey had a 67% response rate. Volunteers were most commonly involved in day care and bereavement services. They entirely ran some complementary therapy, beauty therapy/hairdressing, and pastoral/faith-based care services, and were involved in a wide range of activities, including sitting with dying patients. Conclusions: This comprehensive survey of volunteer activity in U.K. specialist palliative care provides an upto-date picture of volunteer involvement in direct contact with patients and their families, such as providing emotional care, and the extent of their involvement in day and bereavement services. Further research could focus on exploring their involvement in bereavement care.

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A narrative literature review of the contribution of volunteers in end-of-life care services

Cited by 68 publications

References 55 publications

The supply side of volunteering in Austrian hospice services: determinants of sustainable voluntary engagement

The supply side of volunteering in Austrian hospice services: determinants of sustainable voluntary engagement

Does involving volunteers in the provision of palliative care make a difference to patient and family wellbeing? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative evidence

Volunteers in Specialist Palliative Care: A Survey of Adult Services in the United Kingdom

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