A qualitative study on primary caregivers'perceptions of hospice care for patients with advanced cancer

ZHU Yuxuan; SHEN Yanting

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2096-501X.2025.05.012

Abstract：Objective To clarify the current status and influencing factors of the primary caregivers'perception of hospice care in advanced cancer patients,providing a reference to promote the application of hospice care in advanced cancer patients.Methods A phenomenological research method was adopted.From December 2023 to January 2024,12 primary caregivers of patients with advanced cancer who attended the Oncology Department of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were recruited for semi-structured interviews.Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step method.Results Three themes and six sub-themes were extracted:The current status of cognition of hospice care,including lack of understanding of the concept and cognitive bias;the factors influencing hospice care decision-making,including facilitating factors(the expectation of alleviating the patient's pain,the desire to reduce the burden on the family,and the sense of disease benefit)and hindering factors(high economic burden,and the inadequacy of hospice care policies);and the preferred approaches for promoting hospice care,including desires for hospice care knowledge,preference for electronic media advertising.Conclusions Knowledge of hospice care among primary caregivers of patients with advanced cancer is still insufficient.Healthcare professionals and society should enhance the dissemination of hospice care knowledge and provide targeted caregiver decision-making support to promote the implementation of hospice care.