Guidelines for a Palliative Approach in Residential Aged Care

9. Indigenous support,
10. cultural support,
11. advance care plans,
12. dignity and quality of life, and
13. rural and remote issues.
1.1.3 Search Strategies
Preliminary work in searching showed that two search strategies would be necessary to capture
all the relevant literature for the development of evidence-based practice Guidelines. The first
sweep of the literature aimed to acquire relevant studies (both quantitative and qualitative)
using the above outlined domains. This top-down approach elicited articles covering a broad
range of issues. The second strategy used specific terms that emerged from articles found during
the first search strategy. This refinement addressed the specific issues found in caring for older
institutionalised persons with life-limiting conditions (e.g. Cachexia in terminal illness), or who
were dying as a consequence of the process of ageing.
The literature was searched electronically for English language articles published in peer-review
journals from 1990 to Week 3 September 2002 using the first search strategy. Additional
electronic searches using the second strategy covered the period 1990 to Week 4 September
2003. (Further searches were required due to stakeholder feedback that recommended
additional issues should have been included, such as post-bereavement support for family and
friends, continuity of care, complementary therapies, and privacy and confidentiality).
Both search strategies were conducted on databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMbase,
Cochrane Library and Current Contents, APAIS, DRUG, PsychINFO, and Dissertation
Abstracts International. (See Table 1 for search terms). Relevant secondary references were
included in the review.
Searches also included a hard copy search of books and publications at Flinders University
libraries (Sturt, Medical and Central) and Repatriation General Hospital libraries (Daw House
and Medical) between July 2002 and September 2003. Searches on the World Wide Web
for government and non-government publications, standards of care, existing guidelines and
reports to government were also conducted between August 2002 and September 2003.
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