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. 2022 Jul 29;23(6):376-383.
doi: 10.1002/jgf2.571. eCollection 2022 Nov.

The experience of providing end-of-life care at home: The emotional experiences of young family physicians

Daisuke Son  1   2 , Ai Oishi  3 , Shin-Ichi Taniguchi  1
Affiliations

The experience of providing end-of-life care at home: The emotional experiences of young family physicians

Daisuke Son et al. J Gen Fam Med. .

Abstract

Background: End-of-life care is now a major issue in Japan as a result of the rapidly aging population; hence, the need for fostering family physicians to be engaged in end-of-life care at home is increasing. Studies in the United States and the United Kingdom have shown that physicians feel emotional and moral distress in end-of-life care, and that they develop detachment and dehumanizing attitudes toward patients as a coping mechanism. However, few studies have explored the emotional experiences that family physicians have during home-based end-of-life care. The aim of this study is to explore the emotional experiences of young family physicians in such situations.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative analysis of interviews with family medicine residents or family physicians who had just completed their residency. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcripts were prepared. The coded data were analyzed according to thematic analysis using NVivo 10 software.

Results: Study participants were 12 family physicians of PGY 5-11, with experienced end-of-life care cases of 3-20. Thirteen themes were extracted from the data, which were categorized into five domains: difficulties in end-of-life discussion, emotions of physicians, the role of physicians, communicating with the family, and positivity in end-of-life care. The physicians experienced various emotions and struggles within these domains, but they also felt something positive through providing care for the dying patients and their families.

Conclusion: Family physicians experience various emotional difficulties during end-of-life home care. However, positive emotions at the end of life were also experienced through their care.

Keywords: emotional distress; end‐of‐life care; family physician; general practice; home care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have stated explicitly that there are no conflicts of interest in connection with this article.

References

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