Research Into the Quality of the Dying Phase

Three hospitals in the department Groningen (the Netherlands) will participate in this study. When a patient died in one of these hospitals (except the emergency department, child ward and intensive care unit) the bereaved relatives will get an information letter. After about 12 weeks a questionnaire will be sent to the bereaved relative. This questionnaire is developed to evaluate the end of life care at the hospital.

Shortly after the patient died at the hospital, also the nurse and doctor of this patient are requested to fill out a questionnaire.

The questionnaire for the bereaved relatives consists of items, divided in groups: a general part, followed by questions of the last days of life, existing symptoms (physical, psychological, existential and social), the care and treatment and the loss.

The questionnaire for the nurses exists of similar items. Special attention for recognizing the impending dying and problems, care and therapy at the end of life.

In all questionnaires there are also 2 main questions: What is your opinion of the quality of life during the last days of life and What is your opinion of the quality of dying.

In the three hospitals the end of life care is managed at somehow different ways: the use of the Liverpool care Pathway of the dying, the hospice@UMCG intervention and consultation by the palliative team of the hospital.

Inclusion criteria

• patients dying in the hospital

Exclusion criteria

• patients dying at the child ward, emergency dept. and intensive care dept.