Appraisal of literature reviews on end-of-life care for minority ethnic groups in the UK and a critical comparison with policy recommendations from the UK end-of-life care strategy
2011

Review of End-of-Life Care Literature for Minority Ethnic Groups in the UK

Sample size: 13 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Evans Natalie, Meñaca Arantza, Andrew Erin VW, Koffman Jonathan, Harding Richard, Higginson Irene J, Pool Robert, Gysels Marjolein

Primary Institution: Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB, Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona)

Hypothesis

This article aims to review and evaluate literature reviews on minority ethnic groups and end-of-life care in the UK and assess their suitability as an evidence base for policy.

Conclusion

The reviews provide a good reflection of the primary evidence and could be used to inform policy, although the evidence base concerning minority ethnic groups was found to be narrow.

Supporting Evidence

  • Thirteen reviews met inclusion criteria, with seven taking a systematic approach.
  • Four systematic reviews scored highly for methodological quality.
  • Reviews identified six key themes related to end-of-life care for minority ethnic groups.
  • Recommendations for service improvement were made based on the findings of the reviews.

Takeaway

The study looked at various reviews about how different ethnic groups in the UK use end-of-life care services and found that many reviews are good but the overall understanding of their needs is still limited.

Methodology

Systematic review of literature reviews concerning minority ethnic groups and end-of-life care in the UK.

Potential Biases

Potential publication bias towards significant results and qualitative studies with striking findings.

Limitations

Some reviews were non-systematic and may be more at risk of selection bias; the evidence base was found to be narrow.

Participant Demographics

Minority ethnic groups in the UK.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1472-6963-11-141

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