Indra Albrecht
Doctoral fellow - End-of-Life Care Research Group, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (Universiteit Gent - Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
Principal investigator: prof. Kenneth Chambaere (PhD)
Research focus
My research focuses on improving the quality of end-of-life care for people with cancer. Specifically, I study palliative sedation, an end-of-life practice that is used in a substantial proportion of cancer patients in Flanders to relieve unbearable suffering when symptoms can no longer be controlled.
We developed a quality assessment instrument that not only helps to understad current practice but also helps distinguish high-quality from suboptimal palliative sedation. By identifying what defines good practice, we aim to improve the practice and provide the best possible care for patients.
A key aspect of my research is the close collaboration with healthcare professionals, researchers, patients and family caregivers, to ensure that research addresses real-world needs. I also investigate the experiences and needs of families, particularly when patients lose decision-making capacity and relatives take on an important role in care and decision-making. We also explore the development of family-reported outcome measures to better evaluate and improve person-centred cancer care.
By combining quality improvement, patient and family perspectives, and interdisciplinary collaboration, we hope to contribute to more compassionate, evidence-based and person-centred cancer care.
Contact & links
- Lab address: UZGent, entrance 42, 6th floor, office 007, C. Heymanslaan 10, B-9000 Ghent
- End-of-Life Care Research Group
- The COSedation Project
- ORCID
- Indra Albrecht is interested to receive invitations for presentations or talks