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Hospice caregivers' experiences with pain management: "I'm not a doctor, and I don't know if I helped her go faster or slower".
- Source :
-
Journal of pain and symptom management [J Pain Symptom Manage] 2013 Dec; Vol. 46 (6), pp. 846-58. Date of Electronic Publication: 2013 May 31. - Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- Context: Those caring for their loved ones in hospice experience tremendous stress, being faced with numerous decisions as they work to manage the pain experienced by their loved one. Although hospice care teams create pain management strategies, it is the role of the caregiver to implement these plans.<br />Objectives: The purpose of this study was to further understand the hospice caregiver experience relating to pain management.<br />Methods: Semistructured interviews with 146 caregivers provided data for the study. Responses to seven questions asking for a ranking of end-of-life pain management indicated a less than ideal experience. Available narratives from 38 caregivers were analyzed for themes related to further understanding of the concerns.<br />Results: Five themes were identified in the data including difficulty with administration of pain medicines, concerns about side effects of medications, insecurity with pain assessment, frustrations with communication among health care team members, and memories of unrelieved pain.<br />Conclusion: These findings should raise concern among hospice professionals, whose commitment is to the management of pain, including emotional pain, with a focus on both the patient and the family as a unit of care. These data clearly suggest that hospice providers have an opportunity to be sensitive to perceptions held by caregivers regarding pain management. Effective planning for pain control must incorporate the values and beliefs not only of each patient but also of the family caregiver.<br /> (Copyright © 2013 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Subjects :
- Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Caregivers psychology
Female
Hospice Care psychology
Humans
Kentucky epidemiology
Male
Middle Aged
Missouri epidemiology
Prevalence
Retrospective Studies
Treatment Outcome
Young Adult
Attitude of Health Personnel
Caregivers statistics & numerical data
Hospice Care statistics & numerical data
Outcome Assessment, Health Care statistics & numerical data
Pain epidemiology
Pain Management statistics & numerical data
Patient Satisfaction statistics & numerical data
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1873-6513
- Volume :
- 46
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Journal of pain and symptom management
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 23731855
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2013.02.011