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Expectations to and evaluation of a palliative home-care team as seen by patients and carers

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Abstract

Objectives

Although the number of palliative home-care teams is increasing, knowledge of what patients and principal informal carers expect from a home-care team is sparse. We aimed to elucidate this as well as evaluate a home-care team.

Patients and methods

Individual semi-structured interviews with nine patients and six carers before receiving home care and 2–4 weeks after. In total, 26 interviews were conducted. Interviews were analysed with Template Analysis. Peer debriefing was performed.

Main results

Patients and carers expected the team members to have specialised knowledge in palliative care and to improve their sense of security being at home. They also expected respite for carers and activities for patients. They evaluated the team positively but missed respite for carers and 24-h on-call service.

Conclusions

Patients and carers found the home-care team essential to their sense of security being at home. Primary health care professionals must receive any necessary training outside patients’ homes. Offering respite for carers and 24-h on-call service would be an improvement.

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Acknowledgements

Patients and carers are thanked for their time and interest in the study, Anna Thit Johnsen and Anne Gammelgaard for participating in the peer debriefing and Pia Hoej Christiansen for transcribing the interviews. The study was supported by grants from the Danish Cancer Society (no. 99 150 05), Else and Aage Groenbech-Olsens Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, Beckett-Foundation and M. Brogaard and Spouse Recollection Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Palliative Medicine, Bispebjerg Hospital, Bispebjerg Bakke 23, 20D, 1, 2400, Copenhagen NV, Denmark

    Dorthe Goldschmidt & Mogens Groenvold

  2. Department of Social Medicine, Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Dorthe Goldschmidt, Lone Schmidt & Ulla Christensen

  3. Department of Health Services Research, Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Allan Krasnik & Mogens Groenvold

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  1. Dorthe Goldschmidt
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  2. Lone Schmidt
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  3. Allan Krasnik
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  4. Ulla Christensen
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  5. Mogens Groenvold
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Correspondence to Dorthe Goldschmidt.

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Goldschmidt, D., Schmidt, L., Krasnik, A. et al. Expectations to and evaluation of a palliative home-care team as seen by patients and carers. Support Care Cancer 14, 1232–1240 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-006-0082-1

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