Family caregivers' experiences of end-of-life care in the acute hospital setting. A qualitative study.

Autor: Robertson SB; Palliative Home-Care Unit, Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.; Department of Nursing, University of Akureyri, Akureyri, Iceland., Hjörleifsdóttir E; Department of Nursing, University of Akureyri, Akureyri, Iceland., Sigurðardóttir Þ; Department of Nursing, University of Akureyri, Akureyri, Iceland.; Department of Accident and Emergency, Akureyri Regional Hospital, Akureyri, Iceland.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Scandinavian journal of caring sciences [Scand J Caring Sci] 2022 Sep; Vol. 36 (3), pp. 686-698. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Aug 12.
DOI: 10.1111/scs.13025
Abstrakt: Background: Acute hospital settings are generally not considered adequate places for end-of-life care, but terminally ill patients will continue to die in acute medical wards in the unforeseeable future.
Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate family caregivers' experiences of end-of-life care in an acute community hospital in Iceland.
Methods: Fifteen in-depth qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants who had been primary caregivers. The transcribed interviews were analysed using thematic content analysis.
Findings: Findings indicated that the acute hospital setting is not a suitable environment for end-of-life care. Effective communication and management of symptoms characterised by warmth and security give a sense of resilience. Three main themes emerged: (1) Environmental influences on quality of care; (2) Communication in end-of-life care; (3) The dying process. Each of the themes encompassed a variety of subthemes.
Conclusions: Findings suggest that effective communication is the cornerstone of quality of care in the acute hospital environment and essential for establishing a sense of security. The severity of symptoms can deeply affect family caregivers' well-being. Acknowledging and appreciating the meaning of respect and dignity at the end-of-life from family caregivers' perspective is vital.
(© 2021 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic College of Caring Science.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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