Older people living with serious chronic illness towards the end of life : study protocol for the longitudinal narrative study of the TRAJECT project
- Author
- Emma Gobiet (UGent) , Khyati Tripathi (UGent) , Aline De Vleminck (UGent) , Lieve Van den Block (UGent) , Lore Decoster, Eline Naert (UGent) , Nele Van Den Noortgate (UGent) and Lara Pivodic (UGent)
- Organization
- Abstract
- Chronic illnesses are a leading cause of global disease burden among older people worldwide. For many, death from serious chronic illness in older age is preceded by an extended period of fluctuations in health and well-being, and these end-of-life trajectories can be complex and difficult to predict. Most research on end-of-life trajectories is quantitative, based on structured measurements and focused on creating groups or categories of trajectories. At the same time, there is little research that attempts to gain a deeper understanding of how older people perceive, interpret, and explain the changes in and influences on their health and well-being as they near the end of life, and how these experiences differ. This longitudinal narrative study aims to understand the commonalities, differences, and changes over time in older people's narratives of their health and well-being towards the end of life. Thirty-six older people (>= 70 years old) who are diagnosed with one or several serious chronic illnesses and in deteriorating health will be invited to complete narrative interviews every two months over the course of twelve months. The interviews will be analysed following Riessman's approach to narrative analysis, studying the content, structure, and performance aspects of the narratives. This study will establish a novel perspective on end-of-life trajectories, uncovering what is shared and what is individually specific in how older people perceive, interpret and explain their changing health and well-being. The study findings will form an important evidence base for strengthening person-centered care in a way that reflects older people's priorities and experiences in the final stages of life.
- Keywords
- chronic illness, longitudinal research, mixed methods, narrative research, old age, palliative care, qualitative research, study protocol, QUALITATIVE RESEARCH, CRITERIA, EXPERIENCE, INTERVIEWS, FRAILTY, CANCER, EoLC
Downloads
-
2025 GobietE IntJQualMeth.pdf
- full text (Published version)
- |
- open access
- |
- |
- 701.86 KB
Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01K0BPVQ97E3HARDJ0MKW9WBD3
- MLA
- Gobiet, Emma, et al. “Older People Living with Serious Chronic Illness towards the End of Life : Study Protocol for the Longitudinal Narrative Study of the TRAJECT Project.” INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUALITATIVE METHODS, vol. 24, 2025, doi:10.1177/16094069251353445.
- APA
- Gobiet, E., Tripathi, K., De Vleminck, A., Van den Block, L., Decoster, L., Naert, E., … Pivodic, L. (2025). Older people living with serious chronic illness towards the end of life : study protocol for the longitudinal narrative study of the TRAJECT project. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUALITATIVE METHODS, 24. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069251353445
- Chicago author-date
- Gobiet, Emma, Khyati Tripathi, Aline De Vleminck, Lieve Van den Block, Lore Decoster, Eline Naert, Nele Van Den Noortgate, and Lara Pivodic. 2025. “Older People Living with Serious Chronic Illness towards the End of Life : Study Protocol for the Longitudinal Narrative Study of the TRAJECT Project.” INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUALITATIVE METHODS 24. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069251353445.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Gobiet, Emma, Khyati Tripathi, Aline De Vleminck, Lieve Van den Block, Lore Decoster, Eline Naert, Nele Van Den Noortgate, and Lara Pivodic. 2025. “Older People Living with Serious Chronic Illness towards the End of Life : Study Protocol for the Longitudinal Narrative Study of the TRAJECT Project.” INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUALITATIVE METHODS 24. doi:10.1177/16094069251353445.
- Vancouver
- 1.Gobiet E, Tripathi K, De Vleminck A, Van den Block L, Decoster L, Naert E, et al. Older people living with serious chronic illness towards the end of life : study protocol for the longitudinal narrative study of the TRAJECT project. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUALITATIVE METHODS. 2025;24.
- IEEE
- [1]E. Gobiet et al., “Older people living with serious chronic illness towards the end of life : study protocol for the longitudinal narrative study of the TRAJECT project,” INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUALITATIVE METHODS, vol. 24, 2025.
@article{01K0BPVQ97E3HARDJ0MKW9WBD3,
abstract = {{Chronic illnesses are a leading cause of global disease burden among older people worldwide. For many, death from serious chronic illness in older age is preceded by an extended period of fluctuations in health and well-being, and these end-of-life trajectories can be complex and difficult to predict. Most research on end-of-life trajectories is quantitative, based on structured measurements and focused on creating groups or categories of trajectories. At the same time, there is little research that attempts to gain a deeper understanding of how older people perceive, interpret, and explain the changes in and influences on their health and well-being as they near the end of life, and how these experiences differ. This longitudinal narrative study aims to understand the commonalities, differences, and changes over time in older people's narratives of their health and well-being towards the end of life. Thirty-six older people (>= 70 years old) who are diagnosed with one or several serious chronic illnesses and in deteriorating health will be invited to complete narrative interviews every two months over the course of twelve months. The interviews will be analysed following Riessman's approach to narrative analysis, studying the content, structure, and performance aspects of the narratives. This study will establish a novel perspective on end-of-life trajectories, uncovering what is shared and what is individually specific in how older people perceive, interpret and explain their changing health and well-being. The study findings will form an important evidence base for strengthening person-centered care in a way that reflects older people's priorities and experiences in the final stages of life.}},
articleno = {{16094069251353445}},
author = {{Gobiet, Emma and Tripathi, Khyati and De Vleminck, Aline and Van den Block, Lieve and Decoster, Lore and Naert, Eline and Van Den Noortgate, Nele and Pivodic, Lara}},
issn = {{1609-4069}},
journal = {{INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUALITATIVE METHODS}},
keywords = {{chronic illness,longitudinal research,mixed methods,narrative research,old age,palliative care,qualitative research,study protocol,QUALITATIVE RESEARCH,CRITERIA,EXPERIENCE,INTERVIEWS,FRAILTY,CANCER,EoLC}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{10}},
title = {{Older people living with serious chronic illness towards the end of life : study protocol for the longitudinal narrative study of the TRAJECT project}},
url = {{http://doi.org/10.1177/16094069251353445}},
volume = {{24}},
year = {{2025}},
}
- Altmetric
- View in Altmetric
- Web of Science
- Times cited: