Nysæter had a goal of exploring this topic in her doctoral work, and she has reached several conclusions.
"My project provides valuable input into how home death can be facilitated, what competence is important in end-of-life care, work with relatives, and collaboration across professional groups to maintain good quality in the services provided", she says.
In addition to exploring preferences for home care and support over time among patients with cancer in late palliative phase and their family caregivers to enable dying at home, Nysæter examined healthcare professionals' experiences with advance care planning discussions in municipal health services with patients in the late palliative phase living in their own home.
The knowledge from this research may therefore be of importance to more than those directly affected.
"The results of this PhD project may be significant for practitioners, educators, healthcare personnel at various service levels, as well as for and policymakers at the municipal and national levels", says Toril Merete Nysæter.
The main findings of the doctoral thesis:
- Despite changes in illness and health status, the patient's wish to die at home did not change over time.
- For both patients and family caregivers, it was important to be met by healthcare personnel providing care and support to maintain control over their own lives and live as meaningful a life as possible.
- Advance care planning can help to accommodate these preferences and enable home death. However, this requires healthcare personnel having knowledge of advance care planning and communication skills to carry it out.