The Experience of Care in People With Palliative Needs and Their Families : A Qualitative Metasynthesis
Gil Méndez, Ana (Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari. Institut d'Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí (I3PT))
Checa Jiménez, Caterina (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Infermeria)
Bullich-Marín, Ingrid (Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari. Institut d'Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí (I3PT))
Navarrete Reyes, Laura (Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari. Institut d'Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí (I3PT))
Watson-Badia, Carolina Eva (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Infermeria)
Granel, Nina (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Infermeria)
Ribera Barberan, Lídia (Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari. Institut d'Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí (I3PT))
Subirana-Casacuberta, Mireia (Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari. Institut d'Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí (I3PT))
Leyva Moral, Juan M. (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Infermeria)

Data:	2026
Resum:	Aim: To synthesise and reinterpret qualitative evidence on how people with palliative care needs and their family caregiversexperience the care process. Background: Palliative care aims to provide holistic, person- and family-centred care. Although qualitative research has ex-plored multiple aspects of end-of-life care, existing knowledge remains fragmented, limiting its translation into coherent, hu-manised, and clinically applicable nursing care models. Design: A qualitative systematic review with interpretive meta-synthesis. Methods: A qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Systematic searches were performed inPubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus for studies published between 2014 and 2024, in English or Spanish, involving adults withpalliative care needs and/or their family caregivers from OECD countries. A total of 3232 records were identified. Followingscreening and full-text review, 13 qualitative studies were included. Methodological quality was appraised using the CriticalAppraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist. Findings were synthesised through an interpretive approach using reflexive the-matic analysis. Results: The care experience is configured as a dynamic, relational, and non-linear process, characterised by emotional, phys-ical, and social demands. Family caregivers report a substantial caregiving burden, often exacerbated by a lack of support, con-strained resources, and communication challenges with healthcare teams. From the perspective of people with palliative careneeds, the experience of care is closely linked to respect for autonomy, preservation of identity, and the quality of relational pres-ence. Dignity emerges as a cross-cutting theme, strengthened or undermined by nursing practices, interpersonal interactions,and organisational contexts. Conclusion: Effective palliative care requires relational nursing practices that uphold dignity and support the family as a unitof care. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Nursing practice must systematically integrate relational competencies to preserve patientidentity and support the family as a care unit. Bureaucratic healthcare structures often act as active barriers to care, necessitatingorganisational redesign to support family accompaniment.
Nota:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Dignity ; Family caregivers ; Nursing | palliative care ; Patient experience ; Qualitative meta-synthesis
Publicat a:	Journal of clinical nursing, 06 2026, ISSN 1365-2702

DOI: 10.1111/jocn.70406

18 p, 484.6 KB

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Documents de recerca > Documents dels grups de recerca de la UAB > Centres i grups de recerca (producció científica) > Ciències de la salut i biociències > Institut d’Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí (I3PT)
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