Ms Marylouise Freeman1, Dr Kate Gunn1, Dr Gemma Skackowski1, Dr Jason Mills2
1Dept of Rural Health, Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia, 2Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death, and Dying (RePaDD), College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
Biography:
Marylouise is a registered nurse with over 25 years’ experience working in aged care, disability and community settings. Her breadth of experience ranges from clinical service delivery, quality, project and operational management. She is a passionate advocate for safe and quality care to support everyone to live their best life. Throughout her career, Marylouise has had the opportunity to contribute and support the delivery of palliative care services for patients, their family and staff. She is passionate about exploring strengths-based approaches in health research to create innovative solutions that establish partnerships and capacity building for service providers and care recipients.
Abstract:
Background: People living in rural communities negotiate numerous challenges accessing palliative care services. Whilst much research highlights these problems and deficits, far less focuses on the strengths these communities bring to end of life care provision. In the last decade there has been increasing interest in using strengths-based approaches (SBAs) in research and practice. However, the extent and ways in which SBAs have been applied to rural health research, is currently unknown.
Aim: This review explores the purpose and contexts that SBAs have been applied in rural health research. It describes the extent and ways in which they have been used and informs how SBAs can be employed in rural palliative care to discover what works well.
Method: A systematic search of academic databases including CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsychINFO and grey literature informing a scoping review following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and relevant reporting guidelines. Literature sources include peer-reviewed publications, quality improvement projects, government documents and websites.
Results: Published research on the health of people living in rural locations around the world typically identifies problems and the need to ‘fix’ the issues, an approach that historically involves doing things ‘to’ rather than ‘with’ communities. This focus on deficit tends to overlook a deep understanding of the existing strengths inherent in rural communities, their adaptive models of care and their potential for innovation. Alternatives to a deficit approach are SBAs which hinge on the premise that communities are experts in their own experiences, with the capabilities and motivation to make necessary change.
Conclusion: Innovative solutions are required to address the unique palliative care needs of rural communities. Employing SBAs in research design provides unique opportunities to seek out positive aspects of existing palliative care provision that could be scaled to further improve palliative nursing in rural communities more broadly.