Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the awareness of palliative care (PC) in a general Swedish population. Design: We developed an e-survey based on a similar study conducted in Northern Ireland, consisting of 10 questions. Closed questions were primarily analyzed using descriptive statistics. Open questions were subject to inductive qualitative analysis. Subjects: The study utilized a population sample of 7684 persons aged 18–66, of which 2020 responded, stratified by gender, age and region. Results: Most participants reported ‘no’ (n = 827, 41%) or ‘some’ (n = 863, 43%) awareness of PC. Being female or older were associated with higher levels of awareness, as was a university-level education, working in a healthcare setting and having a friend or family member receiving PC. Most common sources of knowledge were the media, close friends and relatives receiving PC, as well as working in a healthcare setting. Aims of PC were most frequently identified as ‘care before death’, ‘pain relief’, ‘dignity’ and a ‘peaceful death’. The preferred place of care and death was one’s own home. The main barriers to raising awareness about PC were fear, shame and taboo, along with perceived lack of information and/or personal relevance. The term ‘palliative care’ was said to be unfamiliar by many. A number of strategies to enhance awareness and access to PC were suggested, largely reflecting the previously identified barriers. Conclusions: This survey found limited awareness of palliative care in an adult sample of the Swedish general public ≤ 66 years, and points to a more widespread disempowerment surrounding end-of-life issues.

Social support is important in the bereavement period. In this study, the respondents were family members and friends to a patient who had died at a palliative care unit. The aim was to explore wishes and needs for, access to and effects of social support in the bereaved. We found that the grieving person's wishes for social support from their network and the network also provided most social support. The network consisted of the close family, the origin family, relatives and friend. Support from the professional staff was required when the network was dysfunctional or when the grieving person did not want to burden members of his/her own network. The need for social support from professional staff was most needed close to the death and some time after.

Developing a three-level set of values adapted to the specific ethical problems in a concrete care setting is a first step towards a better handling of ethical problems.

This study further adds to the validity of the CSNAT and shows in addition that it is reliable and stable for use among family caregivers in palliative care.

Introduction: Patients with life-threatening diseases have reportedly end-of-life experiences that are perceived positively. Loved ones and healthcare personnel may mistakenly interpret the phenomena as confusion and patients can be reluctant to talk about it due to fear of ridicule. Studies addressing patients directly are scarce and there is a lack of studies from highly secular countries. The aim was to establish whether end-of-life experiences are present among patients, oriented in time, place and person and receiving palliative end-of-life care in one of the world's most secular countries. If present, examine the content and patients’ subjective experiences. Design: Qualitative design with semi-structured, in-depth interviews. 25 participants, receiving end-of-life palliative care at home or in a hospice inpatient unit. Results: Patients were interviewed on 1-3 consecutive occasions. 16/25 patients reported end-of-life experiences of which the majority were perceived to be positive. Four themes were identified: vivid dreams while asleep, experiences while awake, references to medical circumstances and communication about end-of-life experiences. Prevalent content was deceased and living loved ones and journeys. Some patients distinguished between hallucinations/nightmares and end-of-life experiences. Conclusions: End-of-life experiences are present among oriented patients in a highly secular country and can have a profound positive impact, which warrants clinical attention. Education for healthcare personnel about end-of-life experiences is needed in order to support patients and loved ones and not mistakenly medicalize. Further directions for research could be to study the experiences of the phenomenon among health care personnel in the same context, which could strengthen the present findings.

The study shows that the manner in which the coping strategies are used is individual and also depends on how loved ones can cope with the concept of a dying person with whom they are very close. When loved ones have a need for support outside their personal network, it is important to understand that this need is directly related to coping strategies and that it is not a result of denial.

Social support is important during the bereavement period and influences which form of social support the grieving person needs. This study shows 2 different strategies for coping with grief which also revealed which form of social support the grieving persons needed depend on what they found difficult to manage. The coping strategies are called grief management and involve different strategies and the roles in the relationship with the diseased. Systematically monitoring the bereaved makes it possible to understand the strategies they use in the grieving process and to identify when these strategies are insufficient so professional support can be offered.

Background Timely identification of patients with palliative care needs is a prerequisite for being able to carry out effective and equal palliative care. The Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT) identifies patients likely to benefit from a palliative approach. Aim The main objective was to describe the translation, cross‐cultural adaptation and content validation process of the SPICT‐SE. In this process, the prefinal SPICT‐SE was tested in focus group interviews to explore how the tool was perceived and interpreted by healthcare professionals in a Swedish healthcare context. Methods In this qualitative descriptive study, the translation, cross‐cultural adaptation and content validation process of the SPICT‐SE was based on a recommended method for cross‐cultural adaptation of self‐report measures. The process included two independent forward translations, a synthesis, and one independent back‐translation. An expert committee consolidated all the versions and developed the prefinal version of the SPICT‐SE. The prefinal version of the SPICT‐SE was tested in four focus group interviews with physicians and nurses engaged in inpatient or outpatient care in south‐west Sweden. A thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews was performed. The SPICT‐SE was then revised to the final version. Results In the thematic analysis, four themes were constructed that together described how the SPICT‐SE was perceived and interpreted by healthcare professionals: The mindset is familiar and relevant; the tool needs to be adjusted in order to be clearer; the purpose and consequences of the tool are ambiguous; and the tool supports a palliative approach. Conclusion The SPICT‐SE has now been successfully translated, culturally adapted and content validated in a Swedish healthcare context.