Developing a family meeting centered on dying patients and creating a guidebook: a field study based on hospice centers in tertiary hospitals
10.3760/cma.j.cn211501-20240518-01263
- VernacularTitle:以临终患者为中心的家庭会议开设及指导手册构建：一项基于三级医院安宁疗护中心的田野研究
- Author:
Mengmeng WANG
1
;
Yuan QIN
;
Peng YUE
Author Information
1. 首都医科大学护理学院，北京 100069
- Keywords:
Palliative care;
Family meetings;
Patient-centered;
Communication;
End-of-life
- From:
Chinese Journal of Practical Nursing
2024;40(28):2172-2179
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To observe family meetings in hospice care centers of tertiary hospitals and to clarify the experience and methods of patient-centered communication.Methods:From Agust 2020 to January 2021, the field research was conducted in the hospice wards of Beijing Haidian Hospital for 6 months. Audio, video, and verbatim transcripts were collected from palliative care family meetings by purposive sampling method. Family meeting transcripts were analyzed by a content analysis approach.Results:A total of 25 family meeting recordings and transcripts and 21 case observation data were collected. There were 10 males and 15 females, aged 39-90 years old. Three themes and nine sub-themes were identified to summarize family meetings: patient-centered foundational support and key measures -- preparation for family meeting (environmental preparation, information preparation); patient centered communication implementation path--how the family meeting was conducted (structured communication, professional communication, patient-centered communication); patient-centered communication effectiveness--outcomes after the family meeting (directly facing the current situation, clarifying choices, reducing regrets, feeling humanistic). A family meeting instruction manual had been developed.Conclusions:The patient-centered family meeting for terminal patients is an important platform for tertiary hospitals to achieve systematic communication among medical workers, patients, and their families. Through the family meeting, medical workers, patients, and their families can share information, with patients and their families feeling supported by a multidisciplinary team and humanistic care. The family meeting guidebook is anticipated to enhance the organizational and communication skills of healthcare professionals in facilitating family meetings.
