Perspectives of relatives and health care workers on care of terminally ill patients in the UK

Two parallel questionnaires were used to explore perceptions of health-care workers (HCWs) and the relatives of terminally ill patients on the quality of care received by the patients. There was general agreement between the two groups of respondents in most of the assessed areas. The relatives, however, were more satisfied with the control of pain and psychological symptoms than the HCWs, and the HCWs perceived the control of diarrhea, skin problems, and swallowing problems more positively than did the relatives. There also was some variation between the two groups in their perception of the care received by the relatives during visits at the hospital, with the relatives’ group being more positive. Although HCWs reported that time to deal with patients and their families was inadequate, the relatives’ group was generally satisfied with the standards in place.