The responsibility to quench thirst by providing drinks when a relative is dying spouses' experience in specialist palliative home care.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Thirst and dry mouth are common symptoms in terminally ill patients. It is known that family members usually request drips for their dying relative. Few studies have focused on thirst in terminally ill patients and their spouses' experience of this, leading to a knowledge gap in this area.

Aim

The aim of this study was to explore spouses' experiences of observing and managing thirst in a dying relative admitted to specialist palliative home care.

Methods

A qualitative interview study with an inductive approach was conducted. Eighteen spouses caring for their husband or wife admitted to specialist palliative home care in different hospitals in Sweden were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed with a reflexive thematic analysis.

SUBMITTER: Friedrichsen M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10658994 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature