Project Summary
Background
The World Health Organisation has identified that with ageing populations on the rise improving palliative care through education is a global priority.1 This project brings together research and education expertise from five different institutions and cultural contexts in order to address this issue. By working collaboratively, we seek to explore the potential of the creative arts to engender new discussions about the social determinants of end of life care, a task critical to the promotion of health equity.
Arguments for using the arts to represent research include their ability to foster a deep engagement with audiences2 as well as their potential for conveying alternative forms of knowledge beyond information transfer.3 The arts can be particularly useful for raising awareness about social issues4 and prompting new perceptions about the topic at hand.5
New perceptions are indeed needed in palliative care research due to a systematic and largely unconscious neglect of issues related to gender. This is despite significant evidence that gender influences almost all aspects of end-of-life preferences, experiences and care.6 A desire to address this neglect underpins our proposed research. We seek to conduct a collaborative study in Aotearoa New Zealand, England and Sweden that explores how a graphic novel (Vivian) centering on themes related to gender and palliative care might be used as a teaching tool in undergraduate nursing curricula within different cultural contexts.
Vivian,7 tells the story of an older woman of white English descent living in a fictitious city modelled on Sheffield, England. The narrative encodes themes derived from a critical review of the literature about gender and palliative care.6 Vivian’s text was developed by Dr Lisa Williams and Professor Merryn Gott, with Dr Tatiana Tavares, an award-winning graphic designer and illustrator, creating the visuals. Vivian may be downloaded from: https://tearairesearchgroup.wordpress.com/2020/10/28/introducing-vivian/
Methods
Three focus groups per university will be conducted with second and third year undergraduate nursing students, faculty and staff. (No focus groups will take place at AUT University; Dr Tavares will contribute to data analysis.) The groups will be facilitated by members of the research team from each university. A research assistant at each institution will supply recruitment and coordination support for the focus groups. Ethics approval for the study has been granted by the University of Auckland Human Participants Ethics Committee (#024414) and the University of Birmingham Research Ethics Office (ERN_20-1884). Approval is pending for Lund University.
Analysis
Transcripts will be analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis.8 A coding framework will be developed during a series of online meetings between the research team members. The finalised framework will be applied to all transcripts by the research assistants at each institution. Standard techniques to promote rigour will be adopted.9
Who’s involved?
Lead University: University of Auckland
Professor Merryn Gott, Associate Head of Research, School of Nursing
Dr Lisa Williams, Research Fellow, School of Nursing
Dr Natalie Anderson, Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing
Mrs Susan Waterworth, Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing
Partner Universities:
University of Birmingham
Mrs Jane Nicol, Senior Lecturer Adult Nursing;
Dr Ping Guo, Lecturer in Nursing and Lead for Advanced Practice Research Project/Dissertation module
Lund University
Associate Professor Magnus Sandberg, Health Promoting Complex Interventions