Effective communication between healthcare professionals and relatives is vital to ensure patients have a "good death". This study sought to establish what the current practice is. 31 papers were included in the review. 7 themes were identified from them with varied levels of family involvement in the decision making process. Doctors were regarded as responsible for discussing prognosis and decision making and nurses for providing individualised care. Findings suggest training could provide healthcare professionals with strategies to improve communication such as question prompt lists could help relatives overcome barriers to involvement in decision-making.
Anderson, R. J. et al. 2019. Communication between healthcare professionals and relatives of patients approaching the end-of-life: A systematic review of qualitative evidence. Palliative Medicine 33 (8) p 926-941.