Home-based palliative care services from the perspective of family caregivers: an evaluation of the Integrated Palliative Care model in Tyrol / Häusliche Palliativversorgung aus der Sicht der pflegenden Angehörigen - eine Evaluation des Modells Integrierte Palliativversorgung in Tirol

Abstract Background Palliative care has always been a field of healthcare in which interprofessional and interdisciplinary cooperation of various healthcare professions is of enormous importance. Home-based palliative care services aim to support family caregivers caring for terminally ill patients at home. Previous studies showed that the quality of collaborative work with palliative services strongly influences the caregivers’ perception of provided services. Purpose This study aimed to investigate how family caregivers experienced the home-based palliative care services “Integrated Palliative Care” (IPB) model in Tyrol. Methods Using a problem-centred interview, 14 former family caregivers were interviewed about their experiences in caring for terminally ill patients supported by IPB services. Interviewees were adult (21+) partners (spouse), daughters/sons, daughters-in-law/sons-in-law or parents of the adult cared-for person living in Tyrol. The transcribed material was subjected to qualitative content analysis. Results The identified overlapping categories were “organization of care”, the “function of professional support as experienced by family caregivers”, “family caregivers’ perception of the quantity and quality of professional help”, and “around death and dying”. Conclusion Our study highlights the importance of efficient collaborative work to enable high standards of palliative care and to decrease caregivers’ burden. Interviewees emphasised the importance of flexible models of palliative care that can address patients’ as well as family caregivers’ needs. Using the avoidance of hospitalization at the end of life and dying in the desired place as criteria to assess the success of home-based care, one can say that the IPB model was successful in the present sample.