Homecare Workers' Needs and Experiences in End-of-Life Care
Author Information
Author(s): Catherine Forward, Zana Bayley, Liz Walker, Justine Krygier, Caroline White, Kasonde Mwaba, Helene Elliott-button, Paul Taylor, Miriam J Johnson
Primary Institution: King's College London
Hypothesis
What are the training, support needs, and experiences of homecare workers providing end-of-life care?
Conclusion
Social homecare workers are essential for end-of-life care at home but are inadequately trained, often isolated, and underappreciated.
Supporting Evidence
- Homecare workers provide essential care to those living at home at the end of life.
- Homecare workers often feel isolated and undervalued by the wider healthcare team.
- Training for homecare workers is limited and often does not meet their needs.
Takeaway
Homecare workers help people at the end of their lives, but they often don't get the training or support they need, which makes their job really hard.
Methodology
A rapid review and narrative synthesis of studies from CINAHL and Medline databases focusing on homecare workers and end-of-life care.
Potential Biases
Some studies had limited samples and did not report on bias, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.
Limitations
The review did not include grey literature or non-English publications, which may have provided additional insights.
Participant Demographics
91% of participants were women, with a mix of homecare workers and other stakeholders.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website