Beyond Patient-Provider Relationships: Expanding the Roles and Boundaries of Families during Patient End-of-Life. (September 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Thompson, Amber; Utz, Rebecca
• Is Part Of: Qualitative health research. Volume 32:Number 11(2022)
• Page Start: 1620
• Page End: 1634
• Publication Date: 2022-09
• Subjects: therapeutic alliance -- patient-provider relationship -- roles -- boundaries -- death and dying -- family -- grounded theory; Health -- Periodicals; Health behavior -- Periodicals; Health -- Research -- Methodology -- Periodicals; Health behavior -- Research -- Methodology -- Periodicals; 610.7205
• DOI: 10.1177/10497323221111249
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1049-7323

Abstract

Role conflict and strain occur when healthcare providers are required to cross boundaries, either voluntarily or involuntarily, to meet the needs of their dying patients. This research is an unobtrusive digital ethnography of a publicly accessible online forum for healthcare providers ( N = 242 posts); it explores the boundaries set by families and healthcare providers, and identifies how healthcare providers navigate and which circumstances require them to sometimes cross these professional boundaries. Results indicate that patient-and-family-centered care may not be fully achieved due to the ambiguity in the expected roles played by both families and healthcare providers during patient death and dying. Grounded in data, an expanded model of the therapeutic alliance, which includes the family, is suggested.