Decision-Making for People with Advanced Illness in Palliative Care

This interdisciplinary research comprises four distinct PhD projects within a programme focused on decision-making for people with advanced illness in palliative care. The programme investigates key evolving challenges in palliative care including clinical decision-making in the management of symptoms for patients, and patient-family caregiver relations in decision-making for patient care. The programme also researches legislative and ethical aspects of shared decision-making for people with advanced illness in palliative care.

This research programme will answer the following inter-connected questions: How are patients’ preferences for and choices about care influenced by their family caregiver(s)?; How do healthcare professionals decide about the management of patient symptoms including patient distress?; How does the legislative framework ‘Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act’ in Ireland impact on patient autonomy and shared decision-making?; and what are key ethical considerations for patients, their family caregivers, and healthcare professionals in shared decision-making for patient treatment and care?

Funder

Trinity College Dublin

Trinity Research Doctorate Awards supporting Group-based Research Projects

Research Team

Lead Primary Investigator: Dr Geraldine Foley (Discipline of Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine)

Co-Primary Investigators: Dr Cathal Cadogan (School of Pharmacy), Dr Andrea Mulligan (School of Law), Professor Linda Hogan (School of Religion, Theology, and Peace Studies), Dr Emer Guinan (Discipline of Physiotherapy, School of Medicine), Professor Andrew Davies (Palliative Medicine, School of Medicine), and Professor Cathal Walsh (Public Health & Primary Care, School of Medicine).

Research Collaborators

All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care, Voices4Care, St. Francis Hospice Dublin, Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, St. James’s Hospital Dublin, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Professor Suzanne Guerin (University College Dublin), and Dr John Lombard (University of Limerick).