The family talk intervention in palliative care: a study protocol

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Family Support Interventions
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Limited scientific evaluation exists for support programs for families with a terminally ill parent and minor children.
• Palliative care settings have a scarcity of resources for these vulnerable family units.
• This study addresses the need for evidence-based interventions in pediatric palliative care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the feasibility of a modified Family Talk Intervention (FTI) in palliative care.
• To assess the potential effects of the FTI on family communication and well-being.
• To provide a foundation for future research and implementation of family-centered interventions.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design comparing an intervention and a comparison group.
• Inclusion of parents with minor children (6-19 years) receiving advanced homecare.
• The modified FTI involved six family meetings focused on psycho-education and narrative theory, with data collected via questionnaires and interviews.

Main Results:

• Data collection included questionnaires at baseline, 2 months, and 1 year post-intervention, alongside post-intervention interviews and interventionist notes.
• Quantitative analysis focused on descriptive statistics to identify patterns over time.
• Qualitative analysis utilized content analysis for interview transcripts and interventionist notes.

Conclusions:

• The study will contribute valuable knowledge to the field of palliative care for families with minor children.
• It will provide insights into the application and effectiveness of the FTI in palliative care settings.
• Findings will guide future research and the development of similar interventions in palliative care.