University Of Glasgow End Of Life Studies

Investigating global interventions in end of life and palliative care. Research led by the University of Glasgow and supported by the Wellcome Trust

We conduct research into palliative care and end of life issues in Scotland, internationally and worldwide.

Our members are academics from the University of Glasgow and related research projects worldwide. We are interested in collaborating on case studies relating to end of life care around the world.

Our research

Our major research project is the Global Interventions at the End of Life, supported by the Wellcome Trust and led by the University of Glasgow. We are examining how ‘interventions’ or responses to end of life issues transfer from one location to another, and how they translate to another culture or context.

Within the Global Interventions at the End of Life project are several case studies, including:

The spread of Neighbourhood Networks in Palliative Care (NNPC)
Declarations as advocacy: palliative care, assisted dying, older people, pain management
Housing with care: interventions for older people
The Liverpool Care Pathway: global spread and national demise
Emergence of the Death Café movement
The role of the World Health Organisation in the global spread of palliative care
‘Integration’ of assisted dying and palliative care provision
In addition to the Global Interventions project, the Glasgow End of Life Studies Group is also involved in other research and related activities, including:

Consulting on the Scottish Government Strategic Framework for Action in End of Life Care in Scotland (2015)
Reporting to the Scottish Parliament Health and Sport Committee inquiry on palliative care
Researching palliative and end of life care provision in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
Creating biographical works on Dame Cicely Saunders
Researching and developing the Crichton Care Campus idea
Updating the Global Atlas of Palliative Care
Updating the study of the imminence of death of hospital inpatients
Advising on the EAPC Task Force on the Development of Palliative Care in Europe
Researching spirituality and palliative care
Creating Open Educational Resources (OERs) in collaboration with the Open University
Producing public engagement activities
Our students

We have several excellent PhD and undergraduate students, from the University of Glasgow and visiting from other institutions. Our students are closely involved with our research and the activities of the Glasgow End of Life Studies Group.

Background

Over a million deaths occur in the world every week. The figure will almost double over the next 40 years. With population ageing and evolving patterns of mortality and morbidity, care for people at the end of life is set to become one of the most pressing humanitarian issues of the 21st century.
In many countries, perceptions of the ‘the good death’ are being shaped by different modes of practice, by evolving cultural and resource factors, by the interventions of key actors, professions and protagonists and by changing ethical and moral reasoning. Yet when social science could be offering a great deal to these debates, we believe it is failing to achieve significant academic and policy impact. Recent social research on end of life issues has often been too remote to be relevant to policy and practice or too embedded in the field to stimulate new thinking and innovation.

At a time when how we should die has become a matter of huge international importance, we seek to open up new frontiers for research and knowledge exchange in this important and developing field.

Our approach

We wish to re-frame social science research on end of life care in the international context, providing knowledge to shape policy, service and practice development globally. We are addressing these issues from an interdisciplinary perspective and trying to create an innovative framework for studies in care at the end of life, bringing high levels of methodological and theoretical rigour, coupled with a far-reaching synthesis of empirical evidence.

Our approach is to bring together the best ideas and perspectives from the social sciences, humanities, public health and clinical disciplines.

We aim to work openly and collaboratively, and welcome your suggestions and feedback.

Find out more

Our staff, students and guest bloggers use the End of Life Studies blog as a platform to express opinions and publish updates about our end of life research projects and case studies. We also blog about end of life publications, policy, doctoral studies, educational resources, events and cultural activities.

Listen to our podcasts on SoundCloud
Watch related videos on UofG End of Life Studies YouTube
Follow us on Facebook
@EndofLifeStudy

History

The University of Glasgow End of Life Studies Group was founded by Professor David Clark in 2014.