This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Lecouturier, J. Articles by Eccles, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lecouturier, J. Articles by Eccles, M. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Cancer Caregivers Palliative Care Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Lay carers' satisfaction with community palliative care: results of a postal survey

Ann Jacoby

Centre for Health Services Research, 21 Claremont Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4AA, UK ann.jacoby{at}ncl.ac.uk

Colin Bradshaw

Tim Lovel

Martin Eccles

This paper reports the substantive findings of a study that examined the feasibility of using postal questionnaires to assess the satisfaction of lay caregivers with the care received in the community by those dying of cancer. The focus of the analysis was the quality of information provided by health professionals, health services used in the final year of the dying person's life and the lay carer's views about the quality of these services. The study was a retrospective survey of lay carers identified from death certificates over a 9-month period. Of the 355 people contacted, 156 completed the questionnaires, a 44% response rate.

The results of the survey indicate that information provision was deemed unsatisfactory by a large proportion of respondents, and that dissatisfaction with care received from hospital, the district nursing service and the general practitioner was common. Levels of satisfaction with care were clearly related to a range of service factors. Our survey also highlighted clear differences in the perceived quality of specialist and generic services for those dying of cancer. A comparison of the findings from this postal study with those reported in earlier retrospective interview surveys of lay carers suggests that the use of the postal questionnaire is a valid and cost-effective approach for assessing quality of care. The data provide baseline information against which improvements in the quality of care can be measured.

Key Words: caregivers • community health services • health care surveys • neoplasms • patient satisfaction • terminal care

Palliative Medicine, Vol. 13, No. 4, 275-283 (1999)
DOI: 10.1191/026921699667368640


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Munday, M. Petrova, and J. Dale Exploring preferences for place of death with terminally ill patients: qualitative study of experiences of general practitioners and community nurses in England BMJ, July 15, 2009; 339(jul15_1): b2391 - b2391. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Docherty, A. Owens, M. Asadi-Lari, R. Petchey, J. Williams, and Y. H Carter Knowledge and information needs of informal caregivers in palliative care: a qualitative systematic review Palliative Medicine, March 1, 2008; 22(2): 153 - 171. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. Voutilainen, K. Backman, A. Isola, and H. Laukkala Family Members' Perceptions of the Quality of Long-Term Care Clin Nurs Res, May 1, 2006; 15(2): 135 - 149. [Abstract] [PDF]

				G. K Mitchell How well do general practitioners deliver palliative care? A systematic review Palliative Medicine, September 1, 2002; 16(6): 457 - 464. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. Horton Differences in assessment of symptoms and quality of life between patients with advanced cancer and their specialist palliative care nurses in a home care setting Palliative Medicine, September 1, 2002; 16(6): 488 - 494. [Abstract] [PDF]

				T Morita, S Chihara, and T Kashiwagi Family satisfaction with inpatient palliative care in Japan Palliative Medicine, April 1, 2002; 16(3): 185 - 193. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. Jacoby, J. Lecouturier, C. Bradshaw, T. Lovel, and M. Eccles Feasibility of using postal questionnaires to examine carer satisfaction with palliative care: a methodological assessment Palliative Medicine, June 1, 1999; 13(4): 285 - 298. [Abstract] [PDF]