The role of the palliative care nurse consultant in promoting continuity of end-of-life care

The provision of end-of-life care through a multidisciplinary integrated palliative-care approach is dependent on effective communication between professional groups and services. We did a qualitative study, using semi-structured individual and focus group interviews, in Melbourne, Australia. The research aim was to explore the experiences and strategies used by palliative care nurses to communicate with general practitioners. We found that palliative care nurse consultants in acute hospitals not only provided inpatient consultation, but also played an important part in facilitating continuity of care across healthcare services by improving existing communication strategies and establishing further communication networks. However, there were several issues that had the potential to disrupt communication, and this article reports on the role of the palliative care nurse consultant in addressing these issues.