The meaning of formal palliative care family meetings and their consequences for people receiving specialist palliative care in two Slovene hospitals : A phenomenological hermeneutic study

Cerv, Branka and Preston, Nancy and Walshe, Catherine (2023) The meaning of formal palliative care family meetings and their consequences for people receiving specialist palliative care in two Slovene hospitals : A phenomenological hermeneutic study. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

Background: There is an increased need for palliative care in Slovenia. In a society with persistent problems in healthcare communication, palliative care family meetings – where patients’ voices can be heard – are rarely organised occasions. The evidence on patients’ experiences of these meetings is extremely scarce in the Slovene literature. Aim: The aim of this study is to illuminate the meaning of the palliative care family meeting for patients receiving specialist palliative care. Methods: A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to elicit the meaning of the palliative care family meeting for patients. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with palliative care patients who participated at the family meetings in two Slovene hospitals. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit six participants. Data were analysed with the use of the crafting of stories as suggested by Crowther et al. (2017) and thematic structural analysis as recommended by Lindseth and Norberg (2004). In the interpretation of the data, Crowther’s and Thomson’s (2020) outline of interpretation was used. Results: In the interpretation of participants’ stories four themes emerged. The first theme, ‘unhomelike being-in-the-world’, reveals the constant changes of the palliative care patients’ bodies, moods and social roles due to the developing disease. The second theme, ‘being-toward-death’, uncovers the dying of the patients’ well known way of life and the need for constant adaptations. The third theme, ‘being-with others’, reveals a constitutive role that the others are playing in palliative care patients’ lives. The fourth theme, ‘the meaning of palliative care family meeting’, uncovers the family meeting as a tool to address the existential needs of palliative care patients. Conclusion: This hermeneutic phenomenological study contributes to a deeper understanding of the meaning of the palliative care family meeting for patients receiving specialist palliative care in Slovenia. It provides insights that can inform improvements in the practice of the palliative care family meeting.