Nurses' Perceptions of Hospice Palliative Care Volunteers

Abstract

A total of 50 nurses (hospital and home care) responded to a survey designed to measure: (1) their attitudes toward, and knowledge of, hospice palliative care volunteers; (2) the types of tasks they felt it was appropriate for volunteers to perform; and (3) how valuable they felt different members of the hospice palliative care team are. In addition, they were asked to respond to some open-ended questions (eg, "Do you feel that it is appropriate for hospice palliative care volunteers to know patient medical information?"). The nurses' responses to the "Attitude/Knowledge" part of the survey revealed that they generally held positive attitudes toward volunteers. The majority of the nurses felt that it was appropriate for volunteers to perform most of the tasks listed, except for hands-on patient care. Nurses rated the value of nurses, family members, doctors, and pharmacists significantly higher than volunteers. Fifty-three percent of the nurses felt that volunteers should know patient medical information, and 77% thought that volunteers should have the opportunity to provide input regarding patient care. Also, 75% of the nurses felt that volunteers made their jobs easier, and 56% felt that volunteers should be included in team meetings. When asked to list the topics covered in a hospice palliative care volunteer training program, 73% of the nurses indicated that they were not sure or did not know what topics were covered, indicating a lack of knowledge regarding volunteer training.

The Inventory of Motivations for Hospice Palliative Care Volunteerism: A Tool for Recruitment and Retention

“…[7][8][9] Other members of the formal caregiving team also recognize the importance of the volunteers' role. For example, in one American study, 24 of the 25 hospice employees (nurses and social workers) surveyed believed that volunteers were ''a vital part of hospice'' 10(p128) and 75% of the nurses surveyed by Claxton-Oldfield, Hastings, and Claxton-Oldfield 11 believed that volunteers make their work easier. Given the absolutely essential role of volunteers in hospice palliative care, one critical issue concerns the recruitment and retention of volunteers.…”

‘A bridge to the hospice’: The impact of a Community Volunteer Programme in Uganda

“…[6][7][8]10,11 The wide role that the CVW undertakes has been shown to be beneficial and includes both physical and non-physical care.…”

“…[6][7][8] It is also reported that the presence of volunteers helps the staff and they are referred to as providing an invaluable resource. 7,9 However, in developing countries the role of the palliative care volunteer is very different and is, in the main, community-based. In India, the Neighbourhood Network in Palliative Care (NNPC) developed in Kerala is an attempt to develop a sustainable community-owned service that can offer long-term care and palliative care.…”

“…4,6,7 The impact of volunteers is widely recognised, with studies reporting that they help to enhance the care of dying patients and their families. [6][7][8] It is also reported that the presence of volunteers helps the staff and they are referred to as providing an invaluable resource. 7,9 However, in developing countries the role of the palliative care volunteer is very different and is, in the main, community-based.…”

How Can I Help You? A Study of the Perceived Importance of Different Kinds of Hospice Palliative Care Volunteer Support

“…9 Some hospice palliative care volunteers provide, free of charge, services of a professional nature (eg, language translator, lawyer, Reiki practitioner, beautician), while others prefer to engage in nondirect patient/family care tasks. These administrative volunteers might work in the volunteer program's office and help with typing, filing, answering phones, and so on.…”