Literature review of "Communication" for the Irish Hospice Foundation’s Hospice-Friendly Hospitals Programme

The Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) Hospice Friendly Hospitals Programme (HFH) is being developed to promote the integration of mainstream hospice principles into hospital practice. This innovative approach is aimed at improving the lived experience of dying patients and their families as they navigate through hospital systems. Because hospitals are currently oriented towards cure and aggressive treatment interventions, the programme is advancing a shift in hospital orientation that would address the needs of dying patients and their families. The changes proposed by the programme are intended to improve conditions specifically from the perspective of such patients and families. The Hospice Friendly Hospitals Programme is oriented around the four key themes of Integrated Care, Communication, Dignity & Design, and Patient Autonomy. Per the request of the IHF, the following is a systematic literature review for the theme of Communication. The review covers a widely-defined perspective of communication within the hospital context and thus should be viewed as a structured broad overview of the literature.