Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37864507›Full record

ArticlePalliative medicine2023

Family carer experiences of hospice care at home: Qualitative findings from a mixed methods realist evaluation.

Vanessa Abrahamson, Patricia Wilson, Stephen Barclay, Charlotte Brigden, Heather Gage, Kay Greene, Ferhana Hashem, Rasa Mikelyte, Melanie Rees-Roberts, Graham Silsbury and 5 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Palliative medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Critique of the Peaceful End-of-Life Theory Using Meleis' 2012 Approach.Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Vanessa AbrahamsonCentre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1169-9457
Patricia WilsonCentre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
Stephen BarclayUniversity of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Charlotte BrigdenCentre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
Heather GageDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
Kay GreeneMary Ann Evans Hospice, Nuneaton, UK.
Ferhana HashemCentre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2544-1350
Rasa MikelyteCentre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
Melanie Rees-RobertsCentre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
Graham SilsburyCentre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
Mary GoodwinCentre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
Brooke SwashUniversity of Chester, Chester, UK.
Bee WeeOxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Harris Manchester College, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7714-0349
Peter WilliamsDepartment of Mathematics, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
Claire ButlerCentre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHospice-at-home aims to enable patients approaching end-of-life to die at home and support their carers. A wide range of different service models exists but synthesised evidence on how best to support family carers to provide sustainable end-of-life care at home is limited.

aimTo explore what works best to promote family carers' experiences of hospice-at-home.

designRealist evaluation with mixed methods. This paper focuses on qualitative interviews with carers (to gain their perspective and as proxy for patients) and service providers from 12 case study sites in England. Interviews were coded and programme theories were refined by the research team including two public members. SETTING/

participantsInterviews with carers (involved daily) of patients admitted to hospice-at-home services (

resultsPost bereavement, 76.4% of carers thought that they had received as much help and support as they needed and most carers (75.8%) rated the help and support as excellent or outstanding. Of six final programme theories capturing key factors relevant to providing optimum services, those directly relevant to carer experiences were: integration and co-ordination of services; knowledge, skills and ethos of hospice staff; volunteer roles; support directed at the patient-carer dyad.

conclusionsCarers in hospice-at-home services identified care to be of a higher quality than generic community services. Hospice staff were perceived as having 'time to care', communicated well and were comfortable with dying and death. Hands-on care was particularly valued in the period close to death.

Indexed as

Home Care ServicesHospice CareTerminal CareCaregiversHumansPalliative Carebereavementcaregiver burdencaregivershealth services research.hospice and palliative care nursingHospice carepalliative careterminal care

Identifiers

PMID37864507
PMCPMC10657508

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.