A bad time to die? Exploring bereaved families/wha-nau experiences of end-of-life care under COVID-19 restrictions: a qualitative interview study
Background: There have been international concerns raised that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an absence of good palliative care resulting in poor end-of-life care experiences. To date, there have been few studies considering the pandemic’s impact on people dying from non-COVID-19 causes a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Palliative Care and Social Practice |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/26323524231189525 |
| _version_ | 1797743737902727168 |
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| author | Tessa Morgan Merryn Gott Lisa Williams Joe Naden Yingmin Wang Brianna Smith Elizabeth Fanueli Martyarini Budi Setyawati Kathryn Morgan Jackie Robinson Natalie Anderson Melissa Carey Tess Moeke-Maxwell |
| author_facet | Tessa Morgan Merryn Gott Lisa Williams Joe Naden Yingmin Wang Brianna Smith Elizabeth Fanueli Martyarini Budi Setyawati Kathryn Morgan Jackie Robinson Natalie Anderson Melissa Carey Tess Moeke-Maxwell |
| author_sort | Tessa Morgan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: There have been international concerns raised that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an absence of good palliative care resulting in poor end-of-life care experiences. To date, there have been few studies considering the pandemic’s impact on people dying from non-COVID-19 causes and their families and friends. In particular, there has been very less empirical research in relation to end-of-life care for Indigenous, migrant and minoritised ethnic communities. Objectives: To explore bereaved next-of-kin’s views and experiences of end-of-life care under COVID-19 pandemic regulations. Design: This qualitative study involved in-depth one-off interviews with 30 ethnically diverse next-of-kin who had a family member die in the first year of the pandemic in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Methods: Interviews were conducted by ethnically matched interviewers/interviewees. A reflexive thematic analysis was used to explore and conceptualise their accounts. Results: A key finding was that dying alone and contracting COVID-19 were seen as equally significant risks by bereaved families. Through this analysis, we identified five key themes: (1) compromised connection; (2) uncertain communication; (3) cultural safety; (4) supported grieving and (5) silver linings. Conclusion: This article emphasises the importance of enabling safe and supported access for family/whanau to be with their family/wha-nau member at end-of-life. We identify a need for wider provision of bereavement support. We recommend that policy makers increase resourcing of palliative care services to ensure that patients and their families receive high-quality end-of-life care, both during and post this pandemic. Policy makers could also promote a culturally-diverse end-of-life care work force and the embedding of culturally-safety practices across a range of institutions where people die. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T14:59:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-af5ab4a5b7ef4330be78e35dd6babd18 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2632-3524 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T14:59:44Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Palliative Care and Social Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-af5ab4a5b7ef4330be78e35dd6babd182023-08-14T09:33:34ZengSAGE PublishingPalliative Care and Social Practice2632-35242023-08-011710.1177/26323524231189525A bad time to die? Exploring bereaved families/wha-nau experiences of end-of-life care under COVID-19 restrictions: a qualitative interview studyTessa MorganMerryn GottLisa WilliamsJoe NadenYingmin WangBrianna SmithElizabeth FanueliMartyarini Budi SetyawatiKathryn MorganJackie RobinsonNatalie AndersonMelissa CareyTess Moeke-MaxwellBackground: There have been international concerns raised that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an absence of good palliative care resulting in poor end-of-life care experiences. To date, there have been few studies considering the pandemic’s impact on people dying from non-COVID-19 causes and their families and friends. In particular, there has been very less empirical research in relation to end-of-life care for Indigenous, migrant and minoritised ethnic communities. Objectives: To explore bereaved next-of-kin’s views and experiences of end-of-life care under COVID-19 pandemic regulations. Design: This qualitative study involved in-depth one-off interviews with 30 ethnically diverse next-of-kin who had a family member die in the first year of the pandemic in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Methods: Interviews were conducted by ethnically matched interviewers/interviewees. A reflexive thematic analysis was used to explore and conceptualise their accounts. Results: A key finding was that dying alone and contracting COVID-19 were seen as equally significant risks by bereaved families. Through this analysis, we identified five key themes: (1) compromised connection; (2) uncertain communication; (3) cultural safety; (4) supported grieving and (5) silver linings. Conclusion: This article emphasises the importance of enabling safe and supported access for family/whanau to be with their family/wha-nau member at end-of-life. We identify a need for wider provision of bereavement support. We recommend that policy makers increase resourcing of palliative care services to ensure that patients and their families receive high-quality end-of-life care, both during and post this pandemic. Policy makers could also promote a culturally-diverse end-of-life care work force and the embedding of culturally-safety practices across a range of institutions where people die.https://doi.org/10.1177/26323524231189525 |
| spellingShingle | Tessa Morgan Merryn Gott Lisa Williams Joe Naden Yingmin Wang Brianna Smith Elizabeth Fanueli Martyarini Budi Setyawati Kathryn Morgan Jackie Robinson Natalie Anderson Melissa Carey Tess Moeke-Maxwell A bad time to die? Exploring bereaved families/wha-nau experiences of end-of-life care under COVID-19 restrictions: a qualitative interview study Palliative Care and Social Practice |
| title | A bad time to die? Exploring bereaved families/wha-nau experiences of end-of-life care under COVID-19 restrictions: a qualitative interview study |
| title_full | A bad time to die? Exploring bereaved families/wha-nau experiences of end-of-life care under COVID-19 restrictions: a qualitative interview study |
| title_fullStr | A bad time to die? Exploring bereaved families/wha-nau experiences of end-of-life care under COVID-19 restrictions: a qualitative interview study |
| title_full_unstemmed | A bad time to die? Exploring bereaved families/wha-nau experiences of end-of-life care under COVID-19 restrictions: a qualitative interview study |
| title_short | A bad time to die? Exploring bereaved families/wha-nau experiences of end-of-life care under COVID-19 restrictions: a qualitative interview study |
| title_sort | bad time to die exploring bereaved families wha nau experiences of end of life care under covid 19 restrictions a qualitative interview study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/26323524231189525 |
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