The Palliative Research Center

The Palliative Research Centre (PFC) conducts research on end-of-life care, specialising in matters relating to life-limiting illness, dying and grief.

The research conducted at PFC, Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University College, is unique in encompassing the individual’s entire lifecycle, from infancy to advanced age. The research is relevant on a societal level and examines need of palliate care, how it affects and changes people’s everyday lives, as well as the significance to health, meaning-making and life conditions. The work at PFC builds on previous research regarding how to uphold dignity of ill individuals and their families in the event of life-limiting illness and approaching death.

We also conduct theoretical and clinical research on palliative care with patients, patients’ families and healthcare professionals in order to generate new knowledge that can inform the development of health and social care with immediate relevance to people in palliative care, including the development of organisational and societal perspectives. We are particularly interested in issues of death and grief, communication, transcultural care and quality of care from a lifecycle perspective.

Research programme 2019 – 2022: Equitable palliative care – a lifecycle perspective

Vision
The PFC’s vision is to drive the development of a method and knowledge-base that meet the need for equal access to palliative care in people of all ages, regardless of where they live, the form of care they receive, their diagnosis and their life situation. Our research is based on the needs of the seriously ill patients, the patients’ families and care professionals from the individual, organisational and societal perspective. Our vision is to foster the development of palliative care through the application and integration of our research on the situation of patients and their families, on professional methods and on education.

The research is guided by:

  • scientific evidence for palliative care and supportive interventions, and empirical knowledge of value to patients and their families
  • the dissemination and implementation of knowledge of palliate care: evidence for effective implementation strategies at different organisational levels of society of value to patients and their families and to health and social care workers
  • the critical understanding and development of models, theories, concepts, standards and values of significance to tomorrow’s palliative care.

Research objectives
The general objective is to make it possible for all people, regardless of age, place of residence, diagnosis and life situation, to receive evidence-based palliative care based on their needs and wishes. The research done at the PFC shall be critically probing and socially relevant, and shall contribute to the development of knowledge and the broadening of perspectives. Through relevant research methods and complex interventions, we improve the wellbeing of patients and their friends and enhance the job satisfaction of care staff while providing them with support and meeting their needs in the field of palliative care. The specific objectives are:

  • to identify and meet the need for general and specialist palliative care in patients and their and families
  • to develop, implement and evaluate methods of palliative care provision based on scientific and experienced-based knowledge of relevance to individuals and society
  • to shed light on professional and informal palliative care interventions and understand how they can complement each other to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s evolving society.

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Last updated:
10 January 2022