Capacidades familiares para cuidar de enfermos oncológicos paliativos: un estudio cualitativo

Translated title of the contribution: The ability of family members to care palliative cancer patients: a qualitative study

Carla Reigada*, Eugénia Ribeiro, Anna Novellas

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the factors that can influence the capability of a family to take care of an oncology patient in Palliative Care. It is a broad, qualitative and observational study, backed by the Grounded Theory and using the Focus Group technique. Meetings, separated into 2 focal groups, were held in the period from January to August 2009, with 13 relatives of patients with incurable cancer and progressive disease, who were being cared for in a Palliative Care Unit of an oncology hospital in northern Portugal. By analyzing the focal groups transcripts, 4 axes that carry factors (categories) that may condition the ability to be a caregiver could be identified: The practical axis (admission, technical assistance, social/health resources, palliative care, psychological support, relocation, home expenses), the relational axis (bonds, loss, privacy, intimacy, support to the caregiver, sharing), the internal experience axis (feelings, coping strategies, affection, suffering, death, psychological support), and the health condition axis (recovering, symptoms, information about the illness, vulnerability of the caregiver). A list of the identified indicators is of help in the holistic evaluation of the family, by enabling an early detection of traits that may be of risk to their caring capacity, determining the continuity of the palliative care and/or a possible discharge.
Translated title of the contributionThe ability of family members to care palliative cancer patients: a qualitative study
Original languageSpanish
Pages (from-to)119-126
Number of pages8
JournalMedicina Paliativa
Volume22
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Keywords

  • Ability
  • Family caregivers
  • Palliative care

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