Being Seen as a Unique Person is Essential in Palliative Care at Home and Nursing Homes: A Qualitative Study With Patients and Relatives.
Katrin Kochems, Everlien de Graaf, Ginette M Hesselmann and 1 others
PMID 38581256WHAT IT FOUND
Patients and relatives in palliative care identified three essentials: being seen as a unique person, receiving proactive information, and ensuring continuity.
They valued personal attention and a consistent point of contact over purely clinical tasks.
Key findings
01Three essential elements emerged: being seen as a person, information needs, and ensuring continuity.
02Being seen involved personal attention, alignment with individual identity, and feeling connected to healthcare professionals.
03Ensuring continuity required a single point of contact, availability of professionals, and coordination across care settings.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample size was small (12 participants), limiting the generalizability of the findings. Participants tended to express satisfaction with care rather than undesired experiences, which may have obscured critical issues. The diversity in age was limited, with few younger patients included. Most participants were female, which may not reflect the experiences of male patients or relatives.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, which did not take part in the conception, design, data collection, analysis, or drafting of the manuscript.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these themes as evidence that specific interventions improve clinical outcomes or survival. This study describes patient and relative experiences and preferences, not the efficacy of care models.