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BMC Palliative Care
Published in: BMC Palliative Care 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research article

Honoring the voices of bereaved caregivers: a Metasummary of qualitative research

Authors: Lorraine Holtslander, Sharon Baxter, Kelly Mills, Sarah Bocking, Tina Dadgostari, Wendy Duggleby, Vicky Duncan, Peter Hudson, Agatha Ogunkorode, Shelley Peacock

Published in: BMC Palliative Care | Issue 1/2017

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Abstract

Background

Family caregiving in the context of advanced disease in particular, can be physically and emotionally taxing. Caregivers can subsequently face bereavement exhausted with few supports, limited resources and a significant proportion will develop negative psychological and social outcomes. Although some research has attended to the bereavement experiences of family caregivers who had cared for a person requiring palliative care, a comprehensive qualitative understanding of the impact of caregiving on bereavement has not been articulated. The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative metasummary to explore the experiences of bereaved family caregivers of people who received palliative care services, regardless of their underlying disease.

Methods

Sandelowski and Barroso’s qualitative metasummary method was utilized: 1287 articles were identified through extensive database searches (i.e. – MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and CINAHL) and reviewed to determine if they fit the criteria. Those included in the review were assessed for study quality. Findings from each study were then thematically coded and a frequency of themes was calculated.

Results

The sample consisted of 47 qualitative studies. A total of 15 themes emerged. In descending order of frequency, the 15 themes were: the individual emotions of serenity, sadness, guilt, uncertainty, trauma, escape, and anger; post-loss experiences that helped the caregiver in bereavement; post-loss experiences that hindered; practical life changes; caregiver role identity; pre-loss experiences that helped; pre-loss experiences that hindered; caregiver context; and a need for different kinds of supports. Three key findings emerged from the themes: (1) many different aspects of the caregiving experience impact the bereavement experience, (2) every bereavement experience is unique, and (3) a variety of supports must be developed and made available to caregivers to meet these unique needs.

Conclusions

Based on the metasummary findings, changes are needed in practice and policy to ensure the health and well-being of the family caregiver is maintained by offering support both during caregiving and bereavement.
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Metadata
Title
Honoring the voices of bereaved caregivers: a Metasummary of qualitative research
Authors
Lorraine Holtslander
Sharon Baxter
Kelly Mills
Sarah Bocking
Tina Dadgostari
Wendy Duggleby
Vicky Duncan
Peter Hudson
Agatha Ogunkorode
Shelley Peacock
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Palliative Care / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1472-684X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-017-0231-y

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