“Sharing in hopes and worries”—a qualitative analysis of the delivery of compassionate care in palliative care and oncology at end of life

Purpose: To explore the methods through which physicians deliver compassionate care during end-of-life (EOL). Compassionate care provides benefits to patients and providers and is particularly important for patients with serious illnesses, yet its practice remains limited. We aim to qualitatively ch...

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Main Authors: Sarah Bessen, Raina H. Jain, W. Blair Brooks, Manish Mishra
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2019-01-01
Series:International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2019.1622355
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author Sarah Bessen
Raina H. Jain
W. Blair Brooks
Manish Mishra
author_facet Sarah Bessen
Raina H. Jain
W. Blair Brooks
Manish Mishra
author_sort Sarah Bessen
collection DOAJ
description Purpose: To explore the methods through which physicians deliver compassionate care during end-of-life (EOL). Compassionate care provides benefits to patients and providers and is particularly important for patients with serious illnesses, yet its practice remains limited. We aim to qualitatively characterize methods utilized by physicians that facilitate the delivery of compassionate care at EOL. Methods: We conducted 13 semi-structured interviews with physicians from palliative care and medical oncology subspecialities at a rural academic medical centre in New Hampshire. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using a qualitative research design. Results: Participants described methods of compassionate care ranging from symptom control to less tangible, non-verbal methods. Primary barriers to the delivery of compassionate care were described as within the broader healthcare system and within the inherent emotional difficulty of EOL care. Physicians from both subspecialities emphasized the importance of successful inter-provider relationships. Conclusions: Methods for delivering compassionate care at EOL are wide ranging, but barriers on a systemic and individual level should be addressed to make its practice more widespread. This can be accomplished, in part, by the standardization of EOL conversations, training physicians how to have meaningful EOL conversations, and integration of such conversations into electronic medical records.
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spelling doaj.art-409f8eda5ef2411a9f5bac03203292992024-02-01T14:39:34ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being1748-26231748-26312019-01-0114110.1080/17482631.2019.16223551622355“Sharing in hopes and worries”—a qualitative analysis of the delivery of compassionate care in palliative care and oncology at end of lifeSarah Bessen0Raina H. Jain1W. Blair Brooks2Manish Mishra3Geisel School of Medicine at DartmouthGeisel School of Medicine at DartmouthGeisel School of Medicine at DartmouthGeisel School of Medicine at DartmouthPurpose: To explore the methods through which physicians deliver compassionate care during end-of-life (EOL). Compassionate care provides benefits to patients and providers and is particularly important for patients with serious illnesses, yet its practice remains limited. We aim to qualitatively characterize methods utilized by physicians that facilitate the delivery of compassionate care at EOL. Methods: We conducted 13 semi-structured interviews with physicians from palliative care and medical oncology subspecialities at a rural academic medical centre in New Hampshire. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using a qualitative research design. Results: Participants described methods of compassionate care ranging from symptom control to less tangible, non-verbal methods. Primary barriers to the delivery of compassionate care were described as within the broader healthcare system and within the inherent emotional difficulty of EOL care. Physicians from both subspecialities emphasized the importance of successful inter-provider relationships. Conclusions: Methods for delivering compassionate care at EOL are wide ranging, but barriers on a systemic and individual level should be addressed to make its practice more widespread. This can be accomplished, in part, by the standardization of EOL conversations, training physicians how to have meaningful EOL conversations, and integration of such conversations into electronic medical records.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2019.1622355compassionate careend of lifepalliative careoncologycompassion fatigue
spellingShingle Sarah Bessen
Raina H. Jain
W. Blair Brooks
Manish Mishra
“Sharing in hopes and worries”—a qualitative analysis of the delivery of compassionate care in palliative care and oncology at end of life
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being
compassionate care
end of life
palliative care
oncology
compassion fatigue
title “Sharing in hopes and worries”—a qualitative analysis of the delivery of compassionate care in palliative care and oncology at end of life
title_full “Sharing in hopes and worries”—a qualitative analysis of the delivery of compassionate care in palliative care and oncology at end of life
title_fullStr “Sharing in hopes and worries”—a qualitative analysis of the delivery of compassionate care in palliative care and oncology at end of life
title_full_unstemmed “Sharing in hopes and worries”—a qualitative analysis of the delivery of compassionate care in palliative care and oncology at end of life
title_short “Sharing in hopes and worries”—a qualitative analysis of the delivery of compassionate care in palliative care and oncology at end of life
title_sort sharing in hopes and worries a qualitative analysis of the delivery of compassionate care in palliative care and oncology at end of life
topic compassionate care
end of life
palliative care
oncology
compassion fatigue
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2019.1622355
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