"Maybe They Don't Even Know That I Exist": Challenges Faced by Family Members and Friends of Patients with Advanced Kidney Disease.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objectives

Family members and friends of patients with advanced chronic illness are increasingly called on to assist with ever more complex medical care and treatment decisions arising late in the course of illness. Our goal was to learn about the experiences of family members and friends of patients with advanced kidney disease.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements

As part of a study intended to identify opportunities to enhance advance care planning, we conducted semistructured interviews at the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System with 17 family members and friends of patients with advanced kidney disease. Interviews were conducted between April of 2014 and May of 2016 and were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed inductively using grou

SUBMITTER: O'Hare AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5460720 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature