Family Perspectives on End-of-Life Care at the Last Place of Care

Abstract

Context Over the past century, nursing homes and hospitals increasingly have become the site of death, yet no national studies have examined the adequacy or quality of end-of-life care in institutional settings compared with deaths at home.

Family Satisfaction With Care Provided by Nurse Practitioners to Nursing Home Residents With Dementia at the End of Life

“…The findings of this study revealed that 98% of family members felt that NPs ensured that their loved one was comfortable at the end of life and that all measures were taken to keep the resident comfortable (63.5% strongly agreed, 33% agreed). This is in contrast to previous research demonstrating that family members felt better pain and symptom management was needed at the end of life (Hanson et al, 1997; Teno et al, 2004). The delivery model of care used by NPs in this study involved keeping family members informed about symptom management of the NH resident at the end of life, which resulted in high satisfaction of family members.…”

Nursing Strategies for Engaging Families of Older Immigrants Hospitalized for End-of-Life Care

“…In contrast to the findings of the study being reported here, some research has suggested that the professional–family relationship in EOL care contexts has not always been satisfactory, with families reporting high rates of not having their needs met—such as for information, emotional support, and to be treated with respect (37). This, in turn, has left some families feeling unsupported, abandoned, and, because of “not being properly informed,” in a state of disequilibrium about what to expect (32).…”

Bereaved family member perceptions of patient-focused family-centred care during the last 30 days of life using a mortality follow-back survey: does location matter?

“…Our finding of less satisfaction with an acute care hospital setting echo recent United Kingdom [ 16 ] national results where hospital care ratings associated with location of death tended to be lower. In contrast our results differ somewhat from that reported by both Teno (US) [ 10 ] and Gallagher (Canada) [ 23 ], who, using the same survey tool, reported greater dissatisfaction associated with care provided by nursing homes and residential care. Although these variations in findings may be a reflection of how healthcare is organized across settings and within different countries, it is important to note that the time frame under examination differs.…”