title: Delivering and participating in a psycho-educational intervention for family caregivers during palliative home care: a qualitative study from the perspectives of health professionals and family caregivers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Family caregivers in palliative care have a need for knowledge and support from health professionals, resulting in the need for educational and supportive interventions. However, research has mainly focused on the experiences of family caregivers taking part in interventions. To gain an increased understanding of complex interventions, it is necessary to integrate the perspectives of health professionals and family caregivers. Hence, the aim of this study is to explore the perspectives of health professionals and family caregivers of delivering and participating in a psycho-educational intervention in palliative home care.
  
  
  METHODS
  A psycho-educational intervention was designed for family caregivers based on a theoretical framework describing family caregiver's need for knowing, being and doing. The intervention was delivered over three sessions, each of which included a presentation by healthcare professionals from an intervention manual. An interpretive descriptive design was chosen and data were collected through focus group discussions with health professionals and individual interviews with family caregivers. Data were analysed using framework analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From the perspectives of both health professionals and family caregivers, the delivering and participating in the intervention was a positive experience. Although the content was not always adjusted to the family caregivers' individual situation, it was perceived as valuable. Consistently, the intervention was regarded as something that could make family caregivers better prepared for caregiving. Health professionals found that the work with the intervention demanded time and engagement from them and that the manual needed to be adjusted to suit group characteristics, but the experience of delivering the intervention was still something that gave them satisfaction and contributed to them finding insights into their work.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The theoretical framework used in this study seems appropriate to use for the design of interventions to support family caregivers. In the perspectives of health professionals and family caregivers, the psycho-educational intervention had important benefits and there was congruence between the two groups in that it provided reward and support. In order for health professionals to carry out psycho-educational interventions, they may be in need of support and supervision as well as securing appropriate time and resources in their everyday work.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Nursing, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. maja.holm@esh.se.|Palliative Research Centre, Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, Sweden. maja.holm@esh.se.
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.affiliation: Palliative Research Centre, Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, Sweden. ida.carlander@erstadiakoni.se.|Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. ida.carlander@erstadiakoni.se.
authors.forename: Ida
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Carlander
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science, Lund University and the Institute for Palliative Care at Lund University and Region Skåne, Lund, Sweden. carljohan.furst@med.lu.se.
authors.forename: Carl-Johan
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Fürst
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Nursing, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. yvonne.wengstrom@ki.se.|School of Health and Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden. yvonne.wengstrom@ki.se.
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wengström
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. kristofer.arestedt@liu.se.|Center for Collaborative Palliative Care, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden. kristofer.arestedt@liu.se.
authors.forename: Kristofer
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Årestedt
authors.affiliation: Palliative Research Centre, Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, Sweden. joakim.ohlen@esh.se.|Centre for Person-Centred Care and Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. joakim.ohlen@esh.se.
authors.forename: Joakim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Öhlen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Nursing, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. anette.henriksson@esh.se.|Department of Health Care Sciences & Palliative Research Centre, Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, Sweden. anette.henriksson@esh.se.|Capio Geriatrics, Palliative Care Unit, Dalen Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. anette.henriksson@esh.se.
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Henriksson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000458:organization & administration; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013548:Sweden