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Bereaved Family Members' Satisfaction with Care during the Last Three Months of Life for People with Advanced Illness
Anna O'Sullivan1, Anette Alvariza2,3, Joakim Öhlen4,5,6
1Department of Health Care Sciences, Palliative Research Centre, Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University College, P.O. Box 11189, SE-100 61 Stockholm, Sweden. anna.osullivan@esh.se.
Background:
Studies evaluating the end-of-life care for longer periods of illness trajectories and in several care places are currently lacking. This study explored bereaved family members' satisfaction with care during the last three months of life for people with advanced illness, and associations between satisfaction with care and characteristics of the deceased individuals and their family members.
Methods:
A cross-sectional survey design was used. The sample was 485 family members of individuals who died at four different hospitals in Sweden.
Results:
Of the participants, 78.7% rated the overall care as high. For hospice care, 87.1% reported being satisfied, 87% with the hospital care, 72.3% with district/county nurses, 65.4% with nursing homes, 62.1% with specialized home care, and 59.6% with general practitioners (GPs). Family members of deceased persons with cancer were more likely to have a higher satisfaction with the care. A lower satisfaction was more likely if the deceased person had a higher educational attainment and a length of illness before death of one year or longer.
Conclusion:
The type of care, diagnoses, length of illness, educational attainment, and the relationship between the deceased person and the family member influences the satisfaction with care.