Time to increase the involvement of persons with intellectual disability in palliative care and research (Commentary)

The study focused on advance care planning in the palliative phase for people with ID. Interestingly, the views of people with ID were not included in this study. Rather the views of healthcare professionals and relatives were explored alongside data from medical records. To improve and promote the relevance, effectiveness and translation of research people with ID should be actively involved in research.4 This is a weakness of the study that should be considered in future research. However, the results highlight that the palliative care needs of this client group were seldom documented or only documented when they were close to death. This could relate to professionals having problems recognising signs and symptoms accurately1 but may also imply a lack of knowledge in this area. Identifying palliative care needs late in life might lead to a major focus on death and dying, even though palliative care should also be about living and continuing with meaningful activities.5 This is an important addition to knowledge in this field and suggests there is a need for further education among professionals to ensure palliative care is based on the person ' s needs and preferences. Organisational policies and procedures may also need to be reviewed.
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news