An analysis of the experiences of bereaved relatives and health care providers following palliative sedation: a study protocol for a qualitative international multicenter case study

BMC Palliative Care

Study Protocol

J. Hasselaar¹  J. Menten²  M. Van der Elst²  B. Jaspers³  H. Brunsch³  S. Surges³  M. Arantzamendi⁴  A. Belar⁴  C. Centeno⁵  S. Payne⁶  N. Preston⁶  C. Adile⁷ 

[1] Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Medicine, Radboud University and Radboudumc, Geert Grote Plein 10, HB6500, Nijmegen, Netherlands;Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Experimental Radiotherapy, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium;Department of Palliative Medicine, Universitätsklinikum Bonn, Venusberg Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany;Institute for Culture and Society-ATLANTES, Universidad de Navarra, Calle Universidad 6, 31009, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain;IdISNA- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra. Palliative Medicine, Pamplona, Spain;Institute for Culture and Society-ATLANTES, Universidad de Navarra, Calle Universidad 6, 31009, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain;IdISNA- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra. Palliative Medicine, Pamplona, Spain;Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Palliative Medicine Department, Pamplona, Spain;International Observatory On End of Life Care, Division of Health Research, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, LA1 4AT, Lancaster, UK;La Maddalena Cancer Center, Via San Lorenzo 312, 90146, Palermo, Italy;

关键词: Palliative sedation;    Refractory symptoms;    Qualitative research;    Case study;    Relatives;    Health caregiver;    Study protocol;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12904-022-01117-w

 received in 2022-07-06, accepted in 2022-12-06,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPatients at the end-of-life may experience refractory symptoms of which pain, delirium, vomiting and dyspnea are the most frequent. Palliative sedation can be considered a last resort option to alleviate one or more refractory symptoms. There are only a limited number of (qualitative) studies exploring the experiences of relatives of sedated patients and their health care professionals (HCPs). The aims of this study protocol are: 1) to elicit the experiences of bereaved relatives and health care professionals of patients treated with palliative sedation and 2) to explore the understanding of the decision-making process to start palliative sedation across care settings in 5 European countries.MethodsThis study protocol is part of the larger HORIZON 2020 Palliative Sedation project. Organisational case study methodology will be used to guide the study design. In total, 50 cases will be conducted in five European countries (10 per country). A case involves a semi-structured interview with a relative and an HCP closely involved in the care of a deceased patient who received some type of palliative sedation at the end-of-life. Relatives and health care professionals of deceased patients participating in a linked observational cohort study of sedated patients cared for in hospital wards, palliative care units and hospices will be recruited. The data will be analyzed using a framework analysis approach. The first full case will be analyzed by all researchers after being translated into English using a pre-prepared code book. Afterwards, bimonthly meetings will be organized to coordinate the data analysis.DiscussionThe study aims to have a better understanding of the experiences of relatives and professional caregivers regarding palliative sedation and this within different settings and countries. Some limitations are: 1) the sensitivity of the topic may deter some relatives from participation, 2) since the data collection and analysis will be performed by at least 5 different researchers in 5 countries, some differences may occur which possibly makes it difficult to compare cases, but using a rigorous methodology will minimize this risk.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2022

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