IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i5p2504-d755256.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Challenges Experienced by Italian Nursing Home Staff in End-of-Life Conversations with Family Caregivers during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Author

Listed:
  • Silvia Gonella

    (Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Turin, Italy
    Direction of Health Professions, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Corso Bramante 88–90, 10126 Turin, Italy)

  • Paola Di Giulio

    (Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Turin, Italy)

  • Alexandra Antal

    (Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Turin, Italy)

  • Nicola Cornally

    (Catherine McAuley School of Nursing and Midwifery, Brookfield Health Sciences Complex, University College Cork, College Road Cork, T12 AK54 Cork, Ireland)

  • Peter Martin

    (School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia)

  • Sara Campagna

    (Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Turin, Italy)

  • Valerio Dimonte

    (Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Turin, Italy
    Direction of Health Professions, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Corso Bramante 88–90, 10126 Turin, Italy)

Abstract

End-of-life conversations are among the most challenging of all communication scenarios and on the agenda of several healthcare settings, including nursing homes (NHs). They may be also difficult for experienced healthcare professionals (HCPs). This study explores the difficulties experienced by Italian NH staff in end-of-life conversations with family caregivers (FCs) during COVID-19 pandemic to uncover their educational needs. A qualitative descriptive study based on inductive thematic analysis was performed. Twenty-one HCPs across six Italian NHs were interviewed. Four themes described their experiences of end-of-life conversations: (1) communicating with FCs over the overall disease trajectory; (2) managing challenging emotions and situations; (3) establishing a partnership between HCPs and FCs; (4) addressing HCPs’ communication skills needs. HCPs had to face multiple challenging situations that varied across the care period as well as complex emotions such as anxiety, guilt, uncertainty, fear, anger, or suffering, which required tailored answers. COVID-19 pandemic increased FCs’ aggressive behaviors, their distrust, and uncertainty due to visitation restrictions. HCPs had to overcome this by developing a set of strategies, including adoption of an active-listening approach, supportive communication, and explicit acknowledgement of FCs’ emotions. Since communication needs were mostly practical in nature, HCPs valued practical communication training.

Suggested Citation

  • Silvia Gonella & Paola Di Giulio & Alexandra Antal & Nicola Cornally & Peter Martin & Sara Campagna & Valerio Dimonte, 2022. "Challenges Experienced by Italian Nursing Home Staff in End-of-Life Conversations with Family Caregivers during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Descriptive Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-18, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:5:p:2504-:d:755256
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/5/2504/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/5/2504/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lidia Borghi & Elaine C. Meyer & Elena Vegni & Roberta Oteri & Paolo Almagioni & Giulia Lamiani, 2021. "Twelve Years of the Italian Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills (PERCS)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-14, January.
    2. Kavita Batra & Tejinder Pal Singh & Manoj Sharma & Ravi Batra & Nena Schvaneveldt, 2020. "Investigating the Psychological Impact of COVID-19 among Healthcare Workers: A Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-33, December.
    3. Hanneke J. A. Smaling & Bram Tilburgs & Wilco P. Achterberg & Mandy Visser, 2022. "The Impact of Social Distancing Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic on People with Dementia, Family Carers and Healthcare Professionals: A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-12, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Silvia Gonella & Sara Campagna & Valerio Dimonte, 2023. "A Situation-Specific Theory of End-of-Life Communication in Nursing Homes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-22, January.
    2. Silvia Gonella & Paola Di Giulio & Paola Berchialla & Mario Bo & Paolo Cotogni & Giorgia Macchi & Sara Campagna & Valerio Dimonte, 2022. "The Impact of Health and Social Care Professionals’ Education on the Quality of Serious Illness Conversations in Nursing Homes: Study Protocol of a Quality Improvement Project," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-20, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kirsten Barnicot & Rose McCabe & Angeliki Bogosian & Renos Papadopoulos & Mike Crawford & Peter Aitken & Tanja Christensen & Jonathan Wilson & Bonnie Teague & Ravi Rana & Donna Willis & Ryan Barclay &, 2023. "Predictors of Post-Traumatic Growth in a Sample of United Kingdom Mental and Community Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-20, February.
    2. Suzie Noten & Annerieke Stoop & Jasper De Witte & Elleke Landeweer & Floor Vinckers & Nina Hovenga & Leonieke C. van Boekel & Katrien G. Luijkx, 2022. "“Precious Time Together Was Taken Away”: Impact of COVID-19 Restrictive Measures on Social Needs and Loneliness from the Perspective of Residents of Nursing Homes, Close Relatives, and Volunteers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-18, March.
    3. Mehran Shayganfard & Fateme Mahdavi & Mohammad Haghighi & Dena Sadeghi-Bahmani & Serge Brand, 2021. "Sources of Health Anxiety for Hospital Staff Working during the Covid-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-11, March.
    4. Sara Huerta-González & Dolores Selva-Medrano & Fidel López-Espuela & Pedro Ángel Caro-Alonso & Andre Novo & Beatriz Rodríguez-Martín, 2021. "The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Front Line Nurses: A Synthesis of Qualitative Evidence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-17, December.
    5. Mariela Loreto Lara-Cabrera & Moisés Betancort & C. Amparo Muñoz-Rubilar & Natalia Rodríguez Novo & Carlos De las Cuevas, 2021. "The Mediating Role of Resilience in the Relationship between Perceived Stress and Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-10, September.
    6. Georgia Libera Finstad & Gabriele Giorgi & Lucrezia Ginevra Lulli & Caterina Pandolfi & Giulia Foti & José M. León-Perez & Francisco J. Cantero-Sánchez & Nicola Mucci, 2021. "Resilience, Coping Strategies and Posttraumatic Growth in the Workplace Following COVID-19: A Narrative Review on the Positive Aspects of Trauma," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-25, September.
    7. Nishant Raj Kapoor & Ashok Kumar & Anuj Kumar & Dilovan Asaad Zebari & Krishna Kumar & Mazin Abed Mohammed & Alaa S. Al-Waisy & Marwan Ali Albahar, 2022. "Event-Specific Transmission Forecasting of SARS-CoV-2 in a Mixed-Mode Ventilated Office Room Using an ANN," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-27, December.
    8. Lamyae Benzakour & Gérard Langlois & Verena Marini & Alexandra Groz & Chiara Chiabotto & Diana Apetrei & Bruno Corneau & Guido Bondolfi, 2022. "Implementation of a Psychiatric Consultation for Healthcare Workers during First Wave of COVID-19 Outbreak," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-15, April.
    9. Hsin-Ling Lee & Kerry S. Wilson & Colleen Bernstein & Nisha Naicker & Annalee Yassi & Jerry M. Spiegel, 2022. "Psychological Distress in South African Healthcare Workers Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of Associations and Mitigating Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-20, August.
    10. Julia Wyszomirska & Monika Bąk-Sosnowska & Anna Daniel-Sielańczyk, 2023. "Anxious and Angry: Early Emotional Adaptation of Medical Students in a Situational Crisis on the Example of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-15, January.
    11. Agnieszka Markiewicz-Gospodarek & Aleksandra Górska & Renata Markiewicz & Zuzanna Chilimoniuk & Marcin Czeczelewski & Jacek Baj & Ryszard Maciejewski & Jolanta Masiak, 2022. "The Relationship between Mental Disorders and the COVID-19 Pandemic—Course, Risk Factors, and Potential Consequences," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-18, August.
    12. Anna Maria Cybulska & Agnieszka Weymann & Kamila Rachubińska & Szymon Grochans & Grzegorz Wójcik & Elżbieta Grochans, 2023. "Factors Associated with Insomnia and Aggression among Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-17, January.
    13. Marwah Abdalla & Codruta Chiuzan & Yimeng Shang & Gavin Ko & Franchesca Diaz & Kaitlin Shaw & Cara L. McMurry & Diane E. Cannone & Alexandra M. Sullivan & Sung A. J. Lee & Hadiah K. Venner & Ari Shech, 2021. "Factors Associated with Insomnia Symptoms in a Longitudinal Study among New York City Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-9, August.
    14. Andrea Aguglia & Andrea Amerio & Alessandra Costanza & Nicolò Parodi & Francesco Copello & Gianluca Serafini & Mario Amore, 2021. "Hopelessness and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms among Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Any Role for Mediating Variables?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-10, June.
    15. Yu Lee & Liang-Jen Wang & Wen-Jiun Chou & Ming-Chu Chiang & Shan Huang & Yi-Chun Lin & Jie-Yi Lin & Nien-Mu Chiu & Chih-Hung Chen & Ing-Kit Lee & Chia-Te Kung & Chih-Chi Wang & Mian-Yoon Chong, 2022. "Psychological Reactions of Hospital Workers to a Pandemic: A Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 in 2020 and SARS in 2003," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-12, January.
    16. Ortal Slobodin & Ilia Plochotnikov & Idan-Chaim Cohen & Aviad Elyashar & Odeya Cohen & Rami Puzis, 2022. "Global and Local Trends Affecting the Experience of US and UK Healthcare Professionals during COVID-19: Twitter Text Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-17, June.
    17. Mónica Leira-Sanmartín & Agustín Madoz-Gúrpide & Enriqueta Ochoa-Mangado & Ángela Ibáñez, 2021. "Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic and Related Variables: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Sample of Workers in a Spanish Tertiary Hospital," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-10, March.
    18. Natasha Li & Sarah R. Martin & Theodore W. Heyming & Chloe Knudsen-Robbins & Terence Sanger & Zeev N. Kain, 2022. "Recurrent SARS-CoV-2 Serology Testing and Pandemic Anxiety: A Study of Pediatric Healthcare Workers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-9, August.
    19. Isolde Martina Busch & Michela Rimondini, 2021. "Empowering Patients and Supporting Health Care Providers—New Avenues for High Quality Care and Safety," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-5, September.
    20. Ari Shechter & Codruta Chiuzan & Yimeng Shang & Gavin Ko & Franchesca Diaz & Hadiah K. Venner & Kaitlin Shaw & Diane E. Cannone & Cara L. McMurry & Alexandra M. Sullivan & Reynaldo R. Rivera & Courtne, 2021. "Prevalence, Incidence, and Factors Associated with Posttraumatic Stress at Three-Month Follow-Up among New York City Healthcare Workers after the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-11, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:5:p:2504-:d:755256. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.