Research panorama 2023
The data presented below was extracted in June 2023. Each year, we refine our classification systems and enrich this panorama with new elements.
The researchers' network
Distribution
In our directory, 405 people say they work on themes related to the end of life.
Women are more represented than men (63% versus 37%).
68% of these researchers are affiliated with a research unit.
152 directory members conduct research while practicing in hospital or medical departments.
| Number of research units | Number of researchers |
|---|---|
| 151 research units (EA, UR, UMR, UPR, UAR...) | 276 |
| 9 clinical research structures (CIC, URC, UIC) | 22 |
Subject areas
Our classification, built on the basis of researcher declarations, includes 56 specialties. 54% belong to the medical, paramedical and life sciences. 46% belong to the humanities and social sciences.
Excluded from this chart are disciplines with only two occurrences, namely: biology, dietetics and nutrition, genetics, maieutics, infectious diseases, emergency medicine, pulmonology and educational sciences.
Methodology
A single person may have reported using several methods in their research work. The graph below shows the number of researchers using each method:
Distribution according to the disciplinary field groups of the Conseil national des universités (CNU).
Populations and pathologies
| Palliative care patients | 115 |
| Cancer | 104 |
| Aging and the elderly | 81 |
| Health care professionals | 81 |
| Loved ones and caregivers | 59 |
| Vulnerable people | 51 |
| Neurodegenerative diseases | 44 |
| Resuscitation | 38 |
| Pediatrics | 29 |
| People with disabilities | 24 |
| Psychiatric illnesses | 19 |
| Teens and young adults | 18 |
| Organ failure: nephrology (5), cardiology (7), pulmonology (5) | 17 |
| Primary care and general medicine (12), Internal medicine (3) | 15 |
| Funeral professionals | 15 |
| Neonatology | 12 |
| Volunteers | 11 |
| Genetic diseases | 9 |
| Populations of the past | 6 |
| Migrants | 6 |
| Orphans | 6 |
| Emergency medicine | 5 |
| Patient partners | 3 |
| Others: gynecology (1), obesity (1) | 2 |
Research topics
| End-of-life locations: home (49), institutional (57) | 106 |
| Ethics/Bioethics | 93 |
| Experiences and perceptions of the end of life | 90 |
| Organization of care | 83 |
| Anticipation / Advance directives | 77 |
| Decision-making processes | 74 |
| Support for relatives and caregivers | 73 |
| Social and cultural representations | 62 |
| Sedation | 60 |
| Mourning | 57 |
| Death wish / Euthanasia / Assisted suicide | 53 |
| Law and legislation | 51 |
| Evaluation of professional practices / Devices / Tools and scales | 50 |
| Pain management | 46 |
| Psychic and spiritual suffering | 46 |
| Quality of life | 44 |
| Early palliative care | 43 |
| Care pathways | 41 |
| History of palliative care (13) / History of death (24) | 37 |
| Drugs / Therapeutics / Medical Devices | 34 |
| Professional training / Pedagogy | 32 |
| Symptom assessment and management | 30 |
| Communication | 28 |
| Care organization | 28 |
| Spirituality and religion | 26 |
| Interprofessional collaboration | 25 |
| Autonomy and people at the end of life | 18 |
| Limitation and cessation of treatment | 18 |
| Philosophy of death | 18 |
| Organ donation and procurement | 17 |
| Health policies | 17 |
| Food / Artificial nutrition | 16 |
| Funeral practices / Post-mortem care | 15 |
| Agonia | 9 |
| Pandemic - Covid 19 | 9 |
| Therapeutic education | 8 |
| Alternative and complementary medicine | 8 |
| Economic issues | 7 |
| Biology of aging | 6 |
| Depressive disorders | 6 |
| Supportive care | 2 |
| Predictive markers of death / Prognostic factors | 1 |
The theses
Since 2019 we have been listing theses on topics related to end-of-life and palliative care (source theses.fr).
However, this census is not exhaustive and does not take into consideration theses practicing in medicine or pharmacy.
In 2022, there were12 thesis registrations (6 fewer than the previous year) and 9 theses defended (a total of 38 theses defended since 2019).
As of June 2023, 98 theses are in progress. Of these, 84% are being carried out in Humanities laboratories, and the majority are by women (73%).
Disciplinary fields
Themes
The data below concerns both theses in progress and theses defended.
| Themes | Number of theses |
| Experiences and perceptions of the end of life | 30 |
| Mourning | 23 |
| Ethics, bioethics | 20 |
| Funeral practices/Post-mortem care | 15 |
| Social and cultural representations | 13 |
| Law and legislation | 11 |
| Patient support | 11 |
| Death wish / Euthanasia / Assisted suicide | 8 |
| Decision-making processes | 7 |
| Autonomy for people at the end of life | 6 |
| Interprofessional collaboration | 6 |
| Philosophy of death | 6 |
| Anticipation / Advance directives | 6 |
| Organization of care | 6 |
| End-of-life places: institutional | 6 |
| Symptom assessment and management | 5 |
| Communication | 5 |
| Support for relatives and caregivers | 4 |
| Sedation | 4 |
| Anticipation / Advance directives | 3 |
| Psychic and existential suffering | 4 |
| Limitation and cessation of treatment | 4 |
| End of life at home | 3 |
| Predictive markers of death / Prognostic factors | 3 |
| Care pathway | 3 |
| Health policies | 3 |
| Organ donation and procurement | 3 |
| Pain management | 3 |
| Early palliative care | 3 |
| Analysis of the public debate | 1 |
| Evaluation of professional practices / Devices / Tools and scales | 1 |
| Professional training / Pedagogy | 1 |
| Neurobiological mechanisms of death | 1 |
| Drugs / Therapeutics / Medical Devices | 1 |
| Economic issues | 1 |
Project directory
Among the 67 projects listed by our network members in the research projects directory, 17 have started in 2022.
Funding sources are diverse: Institut national du cancer (INCa), Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR), Direction générale de l'offre de soins (DGOS) of the French Ministry of Health and Prevention, Fondation de France...
These projects are listed at the initiative of researchers and doctoral students. The list is therefore not exhaustive.
These projects are listed on the initiative of researchers and doctoral students
Disciplinary fields
| Disciplines mentioned | Number of projects |
| Palliative care | 27 |
| Sociology (15), Anthropology (9) | 24 |
| Psychology (20), Psychoanalysis (1) | 21 |
| Law | 11 |
| Oncology (10), Hematology (1) | 11 |
| Philosophy (3), Ethics (8) | 11 |
| Public Health | 8 |
| Nursing | 6 |
| Linguistics (2), Information and Communication Sciences (2), Language Sciences (1) | 5 |
| Architecture (4), Arts (1) | 5 |
| Demography (3), Geography (1) | 4 |
| Epidemiology | 3 |
| Educational sciences | 3 |
| Economics | 2 |
| Neurology | 2 |
| Algology | 1 |
| History | 1 |
| Physiotherapy | 1 |
| Emergency medicine | 1 |
| General medicine | 1 |
| Nephrology | 1 |
| Neuroscience | 1 |
| Pediatrics | 1 |
| Pharmacology | 1 |
| Political Science | 1 |
Themes
The topics addressed in these projects are diverse. The graph below represents the proportion of the main themes addressed:
The following themes are also represented: therapeutic education (3), limiting and stopping treatment (3), Covid-19 pandemic (3), funeral practices and post-mortem care (3), psychic and existential suffering (3), agony (2), pain management (2), spirituality and religion (2), artificial feeding/nutrition (1), organ donation and harvesting (1) and economic issues (1).
European projects
In 2022, 7 Horizon Europe projects were funded on the end-of-life theme including 1 project coordinated by France (INSPIRE project).
By 2019, 5 Horizon 2020 projects had been funded: Diadic, MyPal, The iLIVE project, Palliative sedation and PD-PAL Project.
We have also been listing since 2018, 3 ERC Starting Grant projects and 3 ERC Consolidator Grant projects with host institutions located in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal.
In the summer of 2023, the results of the Horizon Europe call for projects "Novel approaches for palliative and end-of-life care for non-cancer patients" will be known.
On the map opposite the intensity of the colors represents the involvement of different European Union countries1 in European projects. Those involved in the greatest number of projects are Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK. The figures given correspond to the number of European projects for which the country is coordinator. France is only marginally involved in this type of project.
- The UK is represented because some of the projects listed were funded before the Brexit.
Updated on 20/07/2023
Data extraction and processing: Sophie Aupet
