Issues in end-of-life care: patient, caregiver, and clinician perceptions.
BACKGROUND
Review of published research indicates the need to better incorporate patient and caregiver perceptions when providing end-of-life (EOL) care. Although considerable research regarding patient and caregiver experience of EOL has been done, little research has studied patients, caregivers, and clinicians as a connected system.


OBJECTIVE
To study the perceptions of patients, caregivers, and physicians who are already connected with one another in an EOL care experience.


METHODS
Qualitative study consisting of in-depth, open-ended, face-to-face interviews and content analysis.


METHODS
Community family practice residency programs in rural and urban settings in the Affiliated Family Practice Residency Network of the Department of Family Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine.


METHODS
Forty-two patients and 39 caregivers facing EOL were interviewed either alone or together after referral by their physicians. Additionally, results of previously published findings from interviews with 39 family practice faculty were included.


METHODS
Perceptions of participants on EOL issues.


RESULTS
Participants identified four primary issues related to their experience of EOL care: awareness of impending death, management/coping with daily living while attempting to maintain the management regimen, relationship fluctuations, and the personal experiences associated with facing EOL. Participants expected their physicians to be competent and to provide a caring relationship.


CONCLUSIONS
Awareness of these crucial patient and caregiver EOL issues and expectations and how they differ from clinician perspectives can assist clinicians to appropriately explore and address patient/caregiver concerns and thereby provide better quality EOL care.
Farber
Stuart J
SJ
Department of Family Medicine, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington 98195-6390, USA. sfarber@u.washington.edu
Egnew
Thomas R
TR
Herman-Bertsch
Janet L
JL
Taylor
Thomas R
TR
Guldin
Gregory E
GE
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology*; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology*; D014861:Washington