Evaluation of Caregivers' Experiences in the Management of Pressure Injuries in Palliative Care Patients: A Phenomenologic Study.

Abstract

Abstract:

Objective: To evaluate the experiences of caregivers (patients' companions and nurses) in managing pressure injuries (PIs) in patients in palliative care.

Methods: Included in this qualitative phenomenologic study were 10 caregivers (five patient companions and five nurses) involved in the care of five patients hospitalized in the palliative care unit of a single facility between January and March 2023. The research data were collected through face-to-face, in-depth interviews using semistructured interviews.

Results: Two main themes emerged from the interviews: "approach to care" and "factors affecting the care of PIs." Regarding "approach to care," subsidiary analytic themes included "management of PIs" and "feelings." For "factors affecting the care of PIs," analytic themes were "level of knowledge," "facilitators," "difficulty in caregiving," and "experience of care."

Conclusions: The interviewed nurses and patients' companions identified factors facilitating and complicating the effective management of PIs, knowledge of which may steer the development of strategies by healthcare providers and administrators that meet the needs of healthcare personnel. These findings may contribute to creating interventions and policies for managing PIs, potentially increasing the patients' quality of life.