Irene J. Higginson – författare

Palliative and end-of-life care are concerned with the physical, social, psychological, and spiritual care of people with advanced disease and serious illness. They affect people in all societies, all countries, and are growing fields post-Covid. Changing demographics and treatments mean that people are living longer with serious illness and multiple conditions, often needing symptom control and complex care and support. Research in these areas present a particular challenge, both because of the ethical and practical difficulties inherent in working with very ill patients and their families, and because of the range of research questions considered to be within the domain of palliative care.Building on the first edition, this book provides an introduction to research methods in the fields of palliative, supportive, and end-of-life care, and complex patients. Edited by six experienced palliative care academics with acknowledged expertise and international reputations in this field, this book is both authoritative and accessible. It encompasses methods used in both clinical and health services research, covering methodological theory, design, measures, and practice and case examples across the entire scope of research. The book has been fully updated and includes the latest developments such as use of big data and forming research collaborations.This will be an essential methodological book for clinicians, academics, researchers and educators, and especially those undertaking a MSc, PhD, or early career researchers in palliative care and related fields.

Palliative and end of life care are concerned with the physical, social, psychological and spiritual care of people with advanced disease. It currently has a poorly developed research base, but the need to improve this is increasingly recognised. One of the reasons for the lack of research - and the variable quality of the research that is undertaken - is the difficulty of conducting research with very ill and bereaved people. Standard and well-established research methods may need to be adapted to work in this context. This means that existing research methods textbooks may be of limited use to palliative care practitioners seeking to do research for the first time, or to more experienced researchers wanting to apply their knowledge in palliative care settings. This research methods textbook is the first to be written specifically for palliative care. It has been edited by four experienced palliative care academics with acknowledged expertise and international reputations in this field. It encompasses methods used in both clinical and health services research in palliative care, with sections on clinical, epidemiological, survey and qualitative research, as well as a section covering skills needed in any research project. Each chapter provides readers with an up to date overview of the research method in question, an understanding of its applicability to palliative care and of the particular challenges of using it in this setting. It is essential reading for all palliative care researchers.