The feasibility of shared poetry reading in palliative care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploratory study on the feasibility of Poetry as Unifying Shared Experience' (PaUSE): shared poetry reading followed by discussion and diary notes in small groups for patients in the day care unit in palliative care
IRAS ID
246362
Contact name
Rossella M. Riccobono
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of St Andrews
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
246362, Iras Application reference number
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 24 days
Research summary
This study aims to use shared poetry reading and discussion, through its potential ability to facilitate pause, mutual listening and storytelling, to strengthen the philosophy on which Cicely Saunders’ vision of the hospice was conceived and developed by her practice and research (1967-85) as a place where patients do not feel isolated by the inability or fear to discuss their terminal condition, but instead can ‘be with’ their loved ones and professional staff.
The use of art as therapy in the palliative day care unit may be one of the most powerful ways for patients to connect to each other, their family and their professional staff in a new and much deeper way in order to transform their journey towards death as a life experience. Pilot work of this intervention has shown that the reading of poetry thematically dealing with end of life, terminal illness, and loss, is particularly powerful in eliciting patients to open up to the recounting of their stories, fears and feelings in preparation of dying.
Overall we want to explore the feasibility of a poetry intervention in the day care unit in two hospices and the potential benefits that this intervention may bring to the participants in the reading groups. Data will be collected by means of recording all the sessions, face-to-face interviews with the participants after they have completed the five-week intervention to evince their experience of the trial. The diaries handed to them will be collected by the researchers in order to analyse the narratives. A focus group will be organised for the day care staff about their experience of having the poetry group in the unit and the feasibility of introducing regular poetry reading groups in the unit. The interviews and focus groups will be conducted by the principle investigator (PI) and research assistant (RA).REC name
South East Scotland REC 01
REC reference
19/SS/0106
Date of REC Opinion
16 Sep 2019
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion