College of Healthcare Sciences, James Cook University, Douglas, Australia.
College of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, James Cook University, Douglas, Australia.
Aust Occup Ther J. 2024 Aug;71(4):540-551. doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12945. Epub 2024 Mar 25.
The compassionate communities' movement is a public health approach to end-of-life care that emphasises the integral role of communities in supporting and caring for dying persons and their informal carers. Although occupational therapists have well-established roles in palliative care teams, little is known about their potential in assisting in the formation and maintenance of compassionate communities.
Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews with nine Australian occupational therapists with experience in specialist palliative care. Interview questions were based around the British Columbia Compassionate Community Ideal framework. Key themes were derived through qualitative descriptive analysis, blending deductive, and inductive reasoning.
Interviewees indicated that occupational therapists have a role in supporting compassionate communities that centres on the facilitation of networks and connections between palliative care professionals and in the promotion of informal care networks. The importance of education and awareness raising were also discussed as valuable to the development of community capacity. It was also suggested that occupational therapists have important skills to support dying persons and their caregivers to remain engaged and safe in their homes and communities, in a meaningful and sustainable way. However, many interviewees maintained a profession-centric view on control within compassionate communities, as opposed to approaches that are community led.
Findings offer early insights into the promise and potential of occupational therapists in supporting the compassionate communities' movement. However, education regarding the ethos of the compassionate communities' movement so as to facilitate a shift away from professionally oriented modes of practice may be needed to maximise success.
有同情心的社区运动是一种公共卫生方法，用于临终关怀，强调社区在支持和照顾临终者及其非正式照顾者方面的整体作用。尽管职业治疗师在姑息治疗团队中具有成熟的角色，但他们在协助形成和维护有同情心的社区方面的潜力知之甚少。
通过对 9 名具有专科姑息治疗经验的澳大利亚职业治疗师进行半结构化访谈收集数据。访谈问题基于不列颠哥伦比亚省有同情心的社区理想框架。通过定性描述性分析，融合演绎和归纳推理，得出主要主题。
受访者表示，职业治疗师在支持有同情心的社区方面发挥着作用，重点是促进姑息治疗专业人员之间的网络和联系，并促进非正式护理网络。还讨论了教育和提高认识的重要性，认为这对社区能力的发展很有价值。有人还认为，职业治疗师具有重要的技能，可以支持临终者及其护理人员以有意义和可持续的方式在自己的家和社区中保持参与和安全。然而，许多受访者坚持认为，在有同情心的社区中，职业治疗师拥有控制的专业中心观点，而不是以社区为导向的方法。
研究结果提供了职业治疗师在支持有同情心的社区运动方面的承诺和潜力的早期见解。然而，可能需要关于有同情心的社区运动的理念的教育，以促进从以专业为导向的实践模式转变，从而最大限度地提高成功的机会。
