TITLE:
What Contributes to Satisfaction with Care for Family Caregivers of Terminal Cancer Patients Admitted to General Wards? A Qualitative Study
AUTHORS:
Miki Morishita-Kawahara, Kiyoko Kamibeppu
KEYWORDS:
Family Caregivers of Terminal Cancer Patients, General Wards, Qualitative Study, Satisfaction with Care
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.10 No.11,
November
27,
2020
ABSTRACT: Satisfaction with care is an important indicator for family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer and is linked to the quality of life. Despite this, few studies have examined the aspects of satisfaction with care of family caregivers of inpatients with cancer in general wards. This qualitative study aimed to elucidate the elements of satisfaction with the care that inpatients with terminal cancer in general wards and their family caregivers receive from medical staff, as perceived by the family caregivers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 family caregivers of inpatients with terminal cancer. Participants were asked about the care received until then from medical staff, the features of satisfactory care, and the aspects of care they felt were unsatisfactory or could become satisfactory with improvement. The data were analyzed with the content analysis method and the six categories were extracted. For family caregivers of inpatients with terminal cancer in general wards, along with the care identified as important in palliative care, the methods of alleviating symptoms and explaining the patient’s condition were also important. The results highlight the importance of determining a patient-oriented approach and explanations together with each patient and family caregiver, based on an understanding of the long treatment process.