Show simple item record

dc.contributor.authorErvik, Bente
dc.contributor.authorDønnem, Tom
dc.contributor.authorJohansen, May Lill
dc.date.accessioned2024-01-22T13:09:12Z
dc.date.available2024-01-22T13:09:12Z
dc.date.issued2023-12-05
dc.description.abstractBackground - ‘Most patients want to die at home’ is a familiar statement in palliative care. The rate of home deaths is therefore often used as a success criterion. However, providing palliative care and enabling patients to die at home in rural and remote areas may be challenging due to limited health care resources and geographical factors. In this study we explored health care professionals’ experiences and reflections on providing palliative care to patients at the end of life in rural Northern Norway.<p> <p>Methods - This is a qualitative focus group and interview study in rural Northern Norway including 52 health care professionals. Five uni-professional focus group discussions were followed by five interprofessional focus group discussions and six individual interviews. Transcripts were analysed thematically.<p> <p>Results - Health care professionals did their utmost to fulfil patients’ wishes to die at home. They described pros and cons of providing palliative care in rural communities, especially their dual roles as health care professionals and neighbours, friends or even relatives of patients. Continuity and carers’ important contributions were underlined. When home death was considered difficult or impossible, nurses expressed a pragmatic attitude, and the concept of home was extended to include ‘home place’ in the form of local health care facilities.<p> <p>Conclusions - Providing palliative care in patients’ homes is professionally and ethically challenging, and health care professionals’ dual roles in rural areas may lead to additional pressure. These factors need to be considered and addressed in discussions of the organization of care. Nurses’ pragmatic attitude when transfer to a local health care facility was necessary underlines the importance of building on local knowledge and collaboration. Systematic use of advance care planning may be one way of facilitating discussions between patients, family carers and health care professionals with the aim of achieving mutual understanding of what is feasible in a rural context.en_US
dc.identifier.citationErvik, Dønnem, Johansen. Dying at “home” - a qualitative study of end-of-life care in rural Northern Norway from the perspective of health care professionals. BMC Health Services Research. 2023;23(1)
dc.identifier.cristinIDFRIDAID 2215854
dc.identifier.doi10.1186/s12913-023-10329-6
dc.identifier.issn1472-6963
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10037/32667
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherSpringer Natureen_US
dc.relation.journalBMC Health Services Research
dc.rights.holderCopyright 2023 The Author(s)en_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0en_US
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)en_US
dc.titleDying at “home” - a qualitative study of end-of-life care in rural Northern Norway from the perspective of health care professionalsen_US
dc.type.versionpublishedVersionen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.typeTidsskriftartikkelen_US
dc.typePeer revieweden_US


File(s) in this item

Thumbnail

This item appears in the following collection(s)

Show simple item record

Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)