Oral Presentation Palliative Care Nurses Australia Conference 2022

Perspectives of Death Doula training organisations on the Death Doula role: the relevance to nursing (#55)

Deb Rawlings 1 , Lauren Miller-Lewis 2 , Jennifer J Tieman 1 , Kate Swetenham 3
  1. Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
  2. School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQ University, Adelaide Campus, SA, Australia
  3. Health Programs and Funding Branch, Department for Health and Wellbeing, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Background 

Death doulas (DD) are working in end-of-life (EOL) care providing non-medical support for the dying and their families. The role is enduring, with DD’s in Australia now mobilising themselves via Certificate 4 education and the development of an overarching peak body. The DD role is attractive to many nurses, providing an opportunity to work in a non-clinical way spending time with the dying person and their family. However, working in dual roles poses considerations for nurses including boundaries (“which hat they are wearing”) and around nursing registration.

 Aim 

To elicit the perspectives of DD training organisations on the DD role and the intersect with nursing.

Methods 

 We identified 15 Australian DD training organisations in Australia, Canada, UK, NZ and the USA, administering an electronic survey via publicly available email addresses in Qualtrics on Aug 4th 2021. Ethics approval was received.

Results

Responses were received from 13 organisations based in Australia (4), USA (4), Canada (2), UK (1), Sweden (1) and NZ (1). Organisations had been established from individual passion and to attract likeminded people rather than achieving professionalisation of the role. There was little indication of a pedagogical framework. Organisations had been training DD’s for up to 20 years with curricula varying in length and depth but with common themes. Within the survey, through a nursing lens, we asked if there was a perceived conflict for a nurse who works part-time as a DD, eliciting responses that clearly articulate the complexities that lie within, including role delineation and scope of practice.  

The majority were also in support of DD’s specialising as has occurred with Dementia Doulas, in having DD’s incorporated into models of end-of-life care, and in having a role in Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) although it is unclear what this looks like.

Conclusion

There are implications for nurses working in end-of-life care, with the DD role growing and expanding, and the possibility of extending into specialty areas. For those working as a DD while also a registered nurse, implications include roles and responsibilities. registration and scope of practice, and ethical issues such as working with a client accessing VAD.