[Satisfaction of principal caregivers of patients followed-up by palliative care teams].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the satisfaction of main caregivers of deceased patients followed-up by palliative care teams.


METHODS
Web research on electronic data bases: PubMed and MEDES, using "Palliative Care" and "Patient Satisfaction" as main descriptors, and "Family", "Professional-Family Relations", "Quality of Health Care" and "Quality Assurance, Health Care" as secondary descriptors. Studies written in Spanish and English were included.


RESULTS
Profile of principal caregiver: a woman between her mid-forties and her mid-fifties, usually related with the patient as a daughter, and of primary educational level. The items that the main caregivers valued the most were: a kind manner, feeling free to ask questions about problems during the process, tactful explanations, receiving information, pain management, time for answering questions, interest for emotional problems, and information about treatment. The worse valued items were: symptoms control, lack of psychological support after death, preparation for a death of a relative, keeping in touch after death, help to resolve outstanding issues, and help during grief. In general, a great majority of palliative care teams achieved excellent results.


CONCLUSIONS
In spite of the good results obtained in satisfaction surveys from caregivers with regard to palliative care teams, it is essential to improve the quality of scientific-technical training (both from the medical and the psychological point of view), as well as to improve communicational skills among palliative care staff.
Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria, Servicio de Urgencias, Hospital Can Misses, Ibiza, España. Electronic address: linafisla@hotmail.com.
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LE
Fernández-Isla
Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria, Centro de Salud Sa Pobla, Mallorca, España.
S
S
Conde-Valvis-Fraga
Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria, Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Armilla, Armilla, Granada, España.
J S
JS
Fernández-Ruíz
D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011787:Quality of Health Care
Calidad de atención a la salud; Cuidados paliativos; Palliative care; Patient satisfaction; Professional-family relations; Quality of health care; Relación profesional-familia; Satisfacción del paciente