Erik Olsman1, Wendy Duggleby2, Cheryl Nekolaichuk3, Dick Willems4, Judith Gagnon2, Renske Kruizinga5, Carlo Leget6. 1. Section of Medical Ethics, Department of General Practice, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: h.j.olsman@amc.uva.nl. 2. Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 3. Division of Palliative Care Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 4. Section of Medical Ethics, Department of General Practice, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 5. Department of Medical Oncology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 6. Department of Ethics of Care, University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Abstract
CONTEXT: Hope is important in palliative care. However, palliative care professionals' perspectives on hope are not well understood. Metaphors of hope are a way of better understanding these perspectives. OBJECTIVES: To describe palliative care professionals' perspectives on hope by examining the hope metaphors they spontaneously used to describe their own hope and their perspectives on the hope of patients and their families. METHODS: Semistructured interviews with palliative care professionals were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a narrative approach. Results were discussed until the researchers reached consensus and reinforced by other health-care professionals and by observing several palliative care settings. RESULTS: The 64 participants (mean (SD) age, 48.42 (9.27) years and 72% female) were physicians (41%), nurses (34%), chaplains (20%), or other professionals (5%), working in Canada (19%) or The Netherlands (81%). Participants described the hope of patients, their families, or themselves as a 1) grip, which implied safety; 2) source, which implied strength; 3) tune, which implied harmony; and 4) vision, which implied a positive perspective. Compared with Dutch participants, Canadian participants generally put more emphasis on spirituality and letting go of their own hope as a grip (safety). Compared with other included professionals, physicians used hope as a grip (safety) most often, whereas chaplains used hope as a tune (harmony) most often. CONCLUSION: Our findings help to increase the understanding of hope and contribute to improving communication skills in palliative care professionals.
CONTEXT: Hope is important in palliative care. However, palliative care professionals' perspectives on hope are not well understood. Metaphors of hope are a way of better understanding these perspectives. OBJECTIVES: To describe palliative care professionals' perspectives on hope by examining the hope metaphors they spontaneously used to describe their own hope and their perspectives on the hope of patients and their families. METHODS: Semistructured interviews with palliative care professionals were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a narrative approach. Results were discussed until the researchers reached consensus and reinforced by other health-care professionals and by observing several palliative care settings. RESULTS: The 64 participants (mean (SD) age, 48.42 (9.27) years and 72% female) were physicians (41%), nurses (34%), chaplains (20%), or other professionals (5%), working in Canada (19%) or The Netherlands (81%). Participants described the hope of patients, their families, or themselves as a 1) grip, which implied safety; 2) source, which implied strength; 3) tune, which implied harmony; and 4) vision, which implied a positive perspective. Compared with Dutch participants, Canadian participants generally put more emphasis on spirituality and letting go of their own hope as a grip (safety). Compared with other included professionals, physicians used hope as a grip (safety) most often, whereas chaplains used hope as a tune (harmony) most often. CONCLUSION: Our findings help to increase the understanding of hope and contribute to improving communication skills in palliative care professionals.
Authors: Janneke Noordman; Lotte Schulze; Ruud Roodbeen; Gudule Boland; Liesbeth M van Vliet; Maria van den Muijsenbergh; Sandra van Dulmen Journal: BMC Palliat Care Date: 2020-10-07 Impact factor: 3.234