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Riguzzi M, Thaqi Q, Lorch A, Blum D, Peng-Keller S, Naef R. Contextual determinants of guideline-based family support during end-of-life cancer care and subsequent bereavement care: A cross-sectional survey of registered nurses. Eur J Oncol Nurs 2024; 70:102555. [PMID: 38626610 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejon.2024.102555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE In end-of-life cancer care, 10-20% of bereaved family members experience adverse mental health effects, including prolonged grief disorder. Despite great efforts, evidence-based recommendations to support their grieving process and well-being are often not successfully adopted into routine clinical care. This study identified facilitators and barriers using implementation science methodology. METHODS 81 registered nurses working in cancer care from four hospitals and three home care services in Switzerland assessed their current family support practices in end-of-life care and bereavement care. They then assessed organisational attributes of their institution and their own individual characteristics and skills regarding literature-based factors of potential relevance. Facilitators and barriers to guideline-based family support were determined using fractional logistic regression. RESULTS Service specialisation in palliative care, a culture that supports change, the availability of family support guidelines, billing/reimbursement of bereavement support services, and individual knowledge of family support and skill were systematically associated with higher adoption of guideline-based family support practices. Lack of privacy with families and insufficient training acted as significant barriers. CONCLUSIONS While several potentially relevant factors have emerged in the literature, certain organisational and individual determinants actually empirically predict guideline-based family support according to nurses in end-of-life cancer care, with some determinants having much stronger implications than others. This provides crucial guidance for focussing quality improvement and implementation efforts through tailored strategies, especially with scarce resources. Furthermore, adoption is lower in bereavement care than in end-of-life care, suggesting a particular need for supportive organisational cultures including specific training and billing/reimbursement options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Riguzzi
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Universitaetstrasse 84, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland; Centre of Clinical Nursing Science, University Hospital Zurich, Sonnentalstrasse 25, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
| | - Qëndresa Thaqi
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Universitaetstrasse 84, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland; Centre of Clinical Nursing Science, University Hospital Zurich, Sonnentalstrasse 25, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Anja Lorch
- Department of Medical Oncology and Haematology Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - David Blum
- Competence Centre for Palliative Care, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland; Centre for Palliative Care, City Hospital Zurich, Tièchestrasse 99, 8037 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simon Peng-Keller
- Spiritual Care, Faculty of Theology, University of Zurich, Kirchgasse 9, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rahel Naef
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Universitaetstrasse 84, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland; Centre of Clinical Nursing Science, University Hospital Zurich, Sonnentalstrasse 25, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
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Riguzzi M, Thaqi Q, Peng-Keller S, Lorch A, Blum D, Naef R. Adoption of evidence-based end-of-life and bereavement support to families in cancer care: A contextual analysis study with health professionals. J Clin Nurs 2024. [PMID: 38291546 DOI: 10.1111/jocn.17033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
AIMS To investigate the level of adoption of evidence-based family engagement and support during end-of-life cancer care and subsequent bereavement and its contextual facilitators and barriers from health professionals' perspectives, and to explore differences between professional groups. DESIGN Contextual analysis using an online cross-sectional survey. METHODS This study was conducted in four Swiss hospitals and three home care oncology and palliative care services. Non-parametric testing was used to investigate the level of adoption and differences between nurses, physicians, occupational- and physiotherapists and psychosocial professionals (chaplains, onco-psychologists and social workers). The STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies was followed. RESULTS The majority of the 111 participating health professionals were nurses. Adoption was statistically significantly higher during end-of-life care than bereavement, with nurses and physicians reporting higher levels than the other professional groups. Guidance on end-of-life family care was available in about half of the cases, in contrast to a quarter for bereavement care. Self-perceived knowledge, skills and attitudes were moderate to high, with nurses and physicians reporting higher levels than others, except for general skills in working with families. Organisational structures were experienced as rather supportive, with the psychosocial group appraising the organisational context as significantly less conducive to fully implementing end-of-life and bereavement care than others, particularly during the end-of-life phase. CONCLUSION Evidence-based family engagement and support were better adopted during end-of-life care than bereavement. Overall, nurses and physicians felt better enabled to care for families compared to other professional groups. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION No patient or public contribution. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION https://osf.io/j4kfh. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE Implementation and quality improvement efforts should focus particularly on the bereavement phase and be tailored to professional groups. IMPACT The findings show that evidence-based family engagement and support practices during end-of-life were rather well adopted in contrast to subsequent bereavement care, with nurses and physicians better enabled than other professionals to provide care. A better understanding of health professionals' contributions and roles in family care is important to build interprofessional capacity for evidence-based end-of-life and bereavement support. REPORTING METHOD The STROBE checklist for reports of cross-sectional studies was followed (von Elm et al., 2007).
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Riguzzi
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Centre of Clinical Nursing Science, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Qëndresa Thaqi
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simon Peng-Keller
- Spiritual Care, Faculty of Theology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anja Lorch
- Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - David Blum
- Competence Centre for Palliative Care, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Centre for Palliative Care, City Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rahel Naef
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Centre of Clinical Nursing Science, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Falzarano F, Prigerson HG, Maciejewski PK. The Role of Advance Care Planning in Cancer Patient and Caregiver Grief Resolution: Helpful or Harmful? Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13081977. [PMID: 33924214 PMCID: PMC8074595 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13081977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Grief is a common emotion felt by advanced cancer patients and their family caregivers, yet little is known of the relationship between grief in patients and caregivers, how grief in patients and caregivers changes as patients get closer to death, and the way advance care planning (ACP) relates to grief in both members of this “care pair.” In a sample of advanced cancer patients and caregivers, we found their grief tended to be synchronized and that, on average, patients’ grief remained stable whereas caregivers’ grief declined. Further, results revealed that completion of a living will (LW) for the patient increased levels of patient grief, while completion of a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order decreased levels of caregiver grief. Results suggest that grieving may be synchronized between patients and caregivers and that while ACP may promote grief resolution for family caregivers, it is evocative of grief for patients. Abstract Cancer patients and their family caregivers experience various losses when patients become terminally ill, yet little is known about the grief experienced by patients and caregivers and factors that influence grief as patients approach death. Additionally, few, if any, studies have explored associations between advance care planning (ACP) and grief resolution among cancer patients and caregivers. To fill this knowledge gap, the current study examined changes in grief over time in patients and their family caregivers and whether changes in patient grief are associated with changes in caregiver grief. We also sought to determine how grief changed following the completion of advance directives. The sample included advanced cancer patients and caregivers (n = 98 dyads) from Coping with Cancer III, a federally funded, multi-site prospective longitudinal study of end-stage cancer care. Participants were interviewed at baseline and at follow-up roughly 2 months later. Results suggest synchrony, whereby changes in patient grief were associated with changes in caregiver grief. We also found that patients who completed a living will (LW) experienced increases in grief, while caregivers of patients who completed a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order experienced reductions in grief, suggesting that ACP may prompt “grief work” in patients while promoting grief resolution in caregivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Falzarano
- Cornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA; (F.F.); (P.K.M.)
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Holly G. Prigerson
- Cornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA; (F.F.); (P.K.M.)
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Paul K. Maciejewski
- Cornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA; (F.F.); (P.K.M.)
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
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Lennaerts-Kats H, Ebenau A, Steppe M, van der Steen JT, Meinders MJ, Vissers K, Munneke M, Groot M, Bloem BR. "How Long Can I Carry On?" The Need for Palliative Care in Parkinson's Disease: A Qualitative Study from the Perspective of Bereaved Family Caregivers. JOURNAL OF PARKINSONS DISEASE 2020; 10:1631-1642. [PMID: 32651330 PMCID: PMC8764597 DOI: 10.3233/jpd-191884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Background: Family caregivers provide the majority of care for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the palliative care phase. For many this is a demanding experience, affecting their quality of life. Objective: We set out to map the experiences of bereaved family caregivers during the period of informal care in the palliative care phase as well as after the death of their loved one with PD. Methods: Ten bereaved family caregivers participated in this qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and interpretative phenomenological analysis was used executed. Results: We identified four main themes. 1) Feeling like a professional caregiver: while caring for a person with PD, the family caregivers took over many roles and tasks of the person with PD. 2) Healthcare professionals do not always know what PD really means: most interviewees had negative experiences with knowledge and understanding of PD of, especially, (practice) nurses. 3) Being on your own: many respondents had felt highly responsible for their loved one’s care and lacked time and space for themselves. Grief and feelings of guilt were present during the caregiving period and after death. 4) Being behind the times: to provide palliative care in line with patients’ preferences and to feel prepared for the palliative care phase of PD, proactive palliative care planning was considered important. However, the interviewees told that this was most often not provided. Conclusion: These findings indicate that caring for a person with PD in the palliative care phase is a demanding experience for family caregivers. They experience psychological problems for many years before and after the death of the person with PD. Increasing healthcare professionals’ awareness of family and bereaved caregivers’ needs may mitigate these long-term detrimental effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herma Lennaerts-Kats
- Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Neurology, Centre of Expertise for Parkinson & Movement Disorders, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.,Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Care, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Anne Ebenau
- Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Care, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Maxime Steppe
- Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Neurology, Centre of Expertise for Parkinson & Movement Disorders, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jenny T van der Steen
- Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), Nijmegen, Department of Primary and Community Care, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; and Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marjan J Meinders
- Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Scientific Center for Quality of Healthcare, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Kris Vissers
- Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Care, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Marten Munneke
- Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Neurology, Centre of Expertise for Parkinson & Movement Disorders, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Marieke Groot
- Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Care, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Bastiaan R Bloem
- Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Neurology, Centre of Expertise for Parkinson & Movement Disorders, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Naef R, Peng-Keller S, Rettke H, Rufer M, Petry H. Hospital-based bereavement care provision: A cross-sectional survey with health professionals. Palliat Med 2020; 34:547-552. [PMID: 31868555 DOI: 10.1177/0269216319891070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND An in-hospital death is a profound experience for those left behind and has been associated with family members' psychological morbidity. Supporting bereaved family members is an essential part of end-of-life care and includes attentive presence, information-giving, and emotional and practical support. The actual adoption of hospital-based bereavement care, however, remains little understood. AIM To investigate hospital-based bereavement care provision and associated barriers. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey using an online questionnaire. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS Health professionals (n = 196) from two University-affiliated acute and psychiatric hospitals in Switzerland. RESULTS The most frequent bereavement services (⩾40%) were viewing the deceased, giving information on available support, and making referrals; the most often named barriers were lack of time and organizational support. Acute care health professionals faced statistically significant more structural barriers (55.1% vs 21.4% lack of time, 47.8% vs 25.9% lack of organizational support) and felt insufficiently trained (38.4% vs 20.7%) compared to mental health professionals (p ⩽ 0.05). Nurses provided more immediate services compared to physicians, such as viewing the deceased (71.3% vs 49.0%) and sending sympathy cards (37.4% vs 16.3%) (p ⩽ 0.01). In contrast, physicians screened more often for complex bereavement disorders (10.2% vs 2.6%) and appraised bereavement care as beyond their role (26.5% vs 7.8%) (p ⩽ 0.05). CONCLUSION The study indicates that many barriers to bereavement care exist in hospitals. More research is required to better understand enabling and limiting factors to bereavement care provision. A guideline-driven approach to hospital-based bereavement care that defines best practice and required organizational support seems necessary to ensure needs-based bereavement care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahel Naef
- Centre of Clinical Nursing Science, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Horst Rettke
- Centre of Clinical Nursing Science, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Rufer
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Heidi Petry
- Centre of Clinical Nursing Science, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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