Blog

In this blog, Dr Jianxia Zhai, Lecturer in Nursing, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, STEM College, RMIT University, highlights her research on the impact of embedding a Palliative Care Nurse Consultant (PCNC) within a general medicine ward. The study found that the PCNC played a crucial role in improving care, communication, and patient outcomes, while also revealing the challenges involved in integrating this role into a busy hospital environment.

In this blog, Dr Carolyn Bourke, Professor Lynn Chenoweth, Dr Ekavi Georgousopoulou and Professor Anna Williams share their research on developing the End of Life Care Assessment Tool for Dementia (EoLC-ATD), a nurse-led screening tool designed to support better identification and management of advanced dementia symptoms in aged care settings.

In this blog, Dr Michelle Stubbs, Program Convenor Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Newcastle, highlights the emotional toll experienced by registered nurses in residential aged care facilities. Unlike hospital settings, the long-term relationships nurses form with residents makes each loss deeply personal, leading to what researchers describe as cumulative grief. 

In this blog, Mostyn Gooley from Advanced Care Paramedic 2, Queensland Ambulance Service, highlights a recent study that introduced new guidelines encouraging paramedics to prioritize comfort, symptom relief, and patient wishes over hospital transport. 

Palliative care goes beyond checklists and treatment plans. In this blog, Donna O’Brien from BaptistCare at Home shares how the team delivers personalised, compassionate care that respects each person’s cultural and spiritual needs while ensuring dignity, connection, and comfort at every stage.