Authors: Wen Phei Lim, Roxanne Jia Yu Chew, Clare O’Callaghan

Published in: Palliative Medicine, 2024. doi:10.1177/02692163241259632

Summary points:

• The Journey of Our Qualitative Study: Our research was a journey of perseverance and patience, revealing the intimate experiences of patients nearing the end of their lives. As witnesses to our patients’ final moments – both beautiful and poignant- we highly recommend palliative care clinicians to incorporate clinical reflexive journaling in their studies to gain deeper personal insights.
• The Impact of Visual Journaling: Through regular visual journaling, we documented our thoughts and, as partners, supported and understood each other’s similar challenges. This practice fostered our personal growth, self-care, and healing. We strongly encourage our fellow healthcare workers to adopt visual journaling as a valuable tool for self-care.
• Emerging Themes and Identified Gaps: During our study, emerging themes highlighted gaps in both personal (micro-perspective) and institutional care (macro-perspective). We hope our readers find joy in our paper and use our reflections to become more aware of often-overlooked issues.