Bereaved Family Members’ Satisfaction with Care during the Last Three Months of Life for People with Advanced Illness

• Background: Studies evaluating the end-of-life care for longer periods of illness trajectories and in several care places are currently lacking in the Swedish context. Aims: This study explored bereaved family members’ satisfaction with care in several care places, during the last three months of life for people with advanced illness, and associations between satisfaction with care and characteristics of the deceased persons and their family members. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional survey design using the VOICES (SF) questionnaire, descriptive statistics and logistic regression was applied. The sample was 485 family members (age range 20-90 years, 70% women) of persons who died in hospitals in two Swedish health care regions. The deceased persons (age range 27-100) died mainly of circulatory or respiratory diseases, or malignant neoplasm. Results: Of the family members 77, 3% were satisfied with all care received during the last three months of life, when added together and rated as one. The results show variations in care satisfaction between different care places and care services; 87,2 % of the bereaved family members had a high satisfaction with care in hospices, followed by hos- pitals (85,9%), district nurses (68,9%), nursing homes (63,0%), special- ized home care (60,0%) and GPs (55,6%). Spouses were more likely to be satisfied with the care than children or other family members. 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 or the bereaved family member had a higher edu- cational attainment and a length of illness before death for one year or longer. Conclusions: The satisfaction with care is influenced by the care place/ type of care service, as well as by diagnoses, length of illness, educa- tional attainment and the relationship between the deceased person and the family member.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Annan medicin och hälsovetenskap -- Övrig annan medicin och hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Other Medical and Health Sciences -- Other Medical and Health Sciences not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

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