Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38026434›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2023

"Palliative care is so much more than that": a qualitative study exploring experiences of hospice staff and bereaved carers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cara Bailey, Ping Guo, John MacArtney, Anne Finucane, Richard Meade, Susan Swan, Ellie Wagstaff

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing 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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

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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

7 authors.

Cara BaileySchool of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Ping GuoSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
John MacArtneyUnit of Primary Care, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
Anne FinucaneClinical Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Richard MeadeClinical Psychology, Carers UK, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Susan SwanMaggie's Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Ellie WagstaffMarie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

Funding

Marie Curie MCSGS-21-503Marie Curie MCSGS-21-505
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The way in which end-of-life care was provided changed significantly during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The national lockdown restrictions reduced formal care support services and increased the burden on many carers taking on the caring role for the first time. We aimed to explore decision-making about the place of care during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on experience from the perspectives of carers and hospice staff caring for people at the end-of-life. Methods: A qualitative study using virtual interviews was conducted between October 2020 and April 2021. Data were analyzed thematically using framework analysis, an analytical framework that enables qualitative research to be organized into defined themes derived from the research question. Findings were presented to stakeholders in policy roundtables between March 2022 and March 2023 and discussed collaboratively with staff, stakeholders, and the public to inform policy and practice change. Findings: A total of 37 participants (15 bereaved carers and 22 staff) were recruited via hospice services in England and Scotland. Four key themes were identified: (1) changing preferences relating to decision-making about the place of care and the impact at the time of death and into bereavement; (2) missed opportunities related to not being there, not having others around, and being robbed of memory-making; (3) the lone carer during a period of high intensity and reduced home support; (4) process vs. person-centered care resulting from changing rules and restrictions and prioritization of regulations over essential palliative care. Conclusion: The study provides valuable global implications for all involved in end-of-life care. Despite great efforts to provide dignified, quality care, palliative care during the pandemic changed, focusing on essential 'physical care'. The psychological suffering experienced by staff and carers may need longer-term support mechanisms put in place, which will benefit from a public health approach. Policymakers should consider improving carer identification and resources for wider end-of-life care education to support the needs of carers, health and social care staff, and citizens.

Indexed as

COVID-19HospicesCaregiversCommunicable Disease ControlHumansPalliative CarePandemicsQualitative ResearchCOVIDend-of-lifehospicepalliativepolicy changepublic healthqualitativeworkforce

Identifiers

PMID38026434
PMCPMC10662348

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.