Perspectives on Volunteer-Professional Collaboration in Palliative Care: A Qualitative Study Among Volunteers, Patients, Family Carers, and Health Care Professionals. 2019

Steven Vanderstichelen, and Joachim Cohen, and Yanna Van Wesemael, and Luc Deliens, and Kenneth Chambaere
End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium; End-of-Life Care Research Group, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Public Health and Primary Care Corneel Heymanslaan, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: steven.vanderstichelen@vub.be.

Governments intend to meet resource constraints in professional palliative care by stimulating informal care, including volunteerism. However, little is known about current volunteer-professional collaboration. Such insights are relevant for future policy development regarding volunteer efficiency, quality of care, and the capacity of volunteer care to support health care services and professionals. To explore what constitutes volunteer-professional collaboration around palliative care. A qualitative study was conducted using semistructured focus groups with volunteers, nurses, psychologists, and family physicians and semistructured interviews with people with serious illnesses and with family carers. Participants were recruited from hospital, home-care, day-care, and live-in services in Flanders, Belgium. Interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by using a phenomenological approach. Two researchers coded independently in NVIVO 11 and reached a definitive coding scheme by comparing their resulting conceptual schemes. Seventy-nine people participated in the study. Volunteers collaborate mostly with nurses, less with psychologists but not with physicians. Volunteer-professional collaboration entails mutual information-sharing regarding patient conditions and coordination of care provision, whereas nurses and psychologists provide emotional and functional support for volunteers. Lack of access to nurses, of leadership, and of patient-information-sharing guidelines were the most prominent barriers to collaboration. Volunteers are at the front line of palliative care provision and therefore collaborate intensely with nurses, particularly in dedicated palliative care services. However, collaboration with other professionals is limited. The presence and availability of nurses was found to be crucial for volunteers, both for support and to achieve integration through collaboration.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D010166 Palliative Care Care alleviating symptoms without curing the underlying disease. (Stedman, 25th ed) Palliative Treatment,Palliative Supportive Care,Palliative Surgery,Palliative Therapy,Surgery, Palliative,Therapy, Palliative,Care, Palliative,Palliative Treatments,Supportive Care, Palliative,Treatment, Palliative,Treatments, Palliative
D010348 Patient Care Team Care of patients by a multidisciplinary team usually organized under the leadership of a physician; each member of the team has specific responsibilities and the whole team contributes to the care of the patient. Health Care Team,Interdisciplinary Health Team,Medical Care Team,Multidisciplinary Care Team,Multidisciplinary Health Team,Healthcare Team,Care Team, Health,Care Team, Medical,Care Team, Multidisciplinary,Care Team, Patient,Care Teams, Health,Care Teams, Patient,Health Care Teams,Health Team, Interdisciplinary,Health Team, Multidisciplinary,Healthcare Teams,Interdisciplinary Health Teams,Medical Care Teams,Multidisciplinary Care Teams,Multidisciplinary Health Teams,Patient Care Teams,Team, Health Care,Team, Healthcare,Team, Interdisciplinary Health,Team, Medical Care,Team, Multidisciplinary Care,Team, Multidisciplinary Health,Team, Patient Care,Teams, Interdisciplinary Health
D003299 Cooperative Behavior The interaction of two or more persons or organizations directed toward a common goal which is mutually beneficial. An act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit, i.e., joint action. (From Random House Dictionary Unabridged, 2d ed) Compliant Behavior,Behavior, Compliant,Behavior, Cooperative,Compliant Behaviors,Cooperative Behaviors
D005260 Female Females
D006282 Health Personnel Men and women working in the provision of health services, whether as individual practitioners or employees of health institutions and programs, whether or not professionally trained, and whether or not subject to public regulation. (From A Discursive Dictionary of Health Care, 1976) Health Care Professionals,Health Care Providers,Healthcare Providers,Healthcare Workers,Health Care Professional,Health Care Provider,Healthcare Provider,Healthcare Worker,Personnel, Health,Professional, Health Care,Provider, Health Care,Provider, Healthcare
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000368 Aged A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available. Elderly
D001530 Belgium A country in Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands. The capital is Brussels.

Related Publications

Steven Vanderstichelen, and Joachim Cohen, and Yanna Van Wesemael, and Luc Deliens, and Kenneth Chambaere
October 2014, Palliative medicine,
Steven Vanderstichelen, and Joachim Cohen, and Yanna Van Wesemael, and Luc Deliens, and Kenneth Chambaere
June 2018, Palliative medicine,
Steven Vanderstichelen, and Joachim Cohen, and Yanna Van Wesemael, and Luc Deliens, and Kenneth Chambaere
December 2023, Palliative medicine,
Steven Vanderstichelen, and Joachim Cohen, and Yanna Van Wesemael, and Luc Deliens, and Kenneth Chambaere
February 2013, The American journal of hospice & palliative care,
Steven Vanderstichelen, and Joachim Cohen, and Yanna Van Wesemael, and Luc Deliens, and Kenneth Chambaere
January 2006, The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners,
Steven Vanderstichelen, and Joachim Cohen, and Yanna Van Wesemael, and Luc Deliens, and Kenneth Chambaere
January 2021, Palliative medicine,
Steven Vanderstichelen, and Joachim Cohen, and Yanna Van Wesemael, and Luc Deliens, and Kenneth Chambaere
June 2020, JBI evidence synthesis,
Steven Vanderstichelen, and Joachim Cohen, and Yanna Van Wesemael, and Luc Deliens, and Kenneth Chambaere
December 2015, BMC health services research,
Steven Vanderstichelen, and Joachim Cohen, and Yanna Van Wesemael, and Luc Deliens, and Kenneth Chambaere
April 2022, Journal of hospice and palliative nursing : JHPN : the official journal of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association,
Copied contents to your clipboard!