TY - JOUR
T1 - Hospice caregivers' Experiences with pain management
T2 - "i'm not a doctor, and i don't know if i helped her go faster or slower"
AU - Oliver, Debra Parker
AU - Wittenberg-Lyles, Elaine
AU - Washington, Karla
AU - Kruse, Robin L.
AU - Albright, David L.
AU - Baldwin, Paula K.
AU - Boxer, Amy
AU - Demiris, George
N1 - Funding Information:
The project described was supported by Award Number R01NR011472 (D. P. O., Principal Investigator) from the National Institute of Nursing Research . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Nursing Research or the National Institutes of Health. This study also was partly funded by the University of Missouri Student Research Fellowship . The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
PY - 2013/12
Y1 - 2013/12
N2 - Context: Those caring for their loved ones in hospice experience tremendous stress, being faced with numerous decisions as they work to manage the pain experienced by their loved one. Although hospice care teams create pain management strategies, it is the role of the caregiver to implement these plans. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to further understand the hospice caregiver experience relating to pain management. Methods: Semistructured interviews with 146 caregivers provided data for the study. Responses to seven questions asking for a ranking of end-of-life pain management indicated a less than ideal experience. Available narratives from 38 caregivers were analyzed for themes related to further understanding of the concerns. Results: Five themes were identified in the data including difficulty with administration of pain medicines, concerns about side effects of medications, insecurity with pain assessment, frustrations with communication among health care team members, and memories of unrelieved pain. Conclusion: These findings should raise concern among hospice professionals, whose commitment is to the management of pain, including emotional pain, with a focus on both the patient and the family as a unit of care. These data clearly suggest that hospice providers have an opportunity to be sensitive to perceptions held by caregivers regarding pain management. Effective planning for pain control must incorporate the values and beliefs not only of each patient but also of the family caregiver.
AB - Context: Those caring for their loved ones in hospice experience tremendous stress, being faced with numerous decisions as they work to manage the pain experienced by their loved one. Although hospice care teams create pain management strategies, it is the role of the caregiver to implement these plans. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to further understand the hospice caregiver experience relating to pain management. Methods: Semistructured interviews with 146 caregivers provided data for the study. Responses to seven questions asking for a ranking of end-of-life pain management indicated a less than ideal experience. Available narratives from 38 caregivers were analyzed for themes related to further understanding of the concerns. Results: Five themes were identified in the data including difficulty with administration of pain medicines, concerns about side effects of medications, insecurity with pain assessment, frustrations with communication among health care team members, and memories of unrelieved pain. Conclusion: These findings should raise concern among hospice professionals, whose commitment is to the management of pain, including emotional pain, with a focus on both the patient and the family as a unit of care. These data clearly suggest that hospice providers have an opportunity to be sensitive to perceptions held by caregivers regarding pain management. Effective planning for pain control must incorporate the values and beliefs not only of each patient but also of the family caregiver.
KW - Hospice
KW - caregivers
KW - pain
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84888636151&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2013.02.011
DO - 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2013.02.011
M3 - Article
C2 - 23731855
AN - SCOPUS:84888636151
VL - 46
SP - 846
EP - 858
JO - Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
JF - Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
SN - 0885-3924
IS - 6
ER -