Relatives' Unmet Needs in the Last Year of Life of Patients With Advanced Cancer: Results of a Dutch Prospective, Longitudinal Study (eQuiPe)

Laurien Ham*, Heidi P Fransen, Alexander de Graeff, Mathijs P Hendriks, Wouter K de Jong, Jeroen Kloover, Evelien Kuip, Caroline Mandigers, Dirkje Sommeijer, Lonneke van de Poll, Natasja Raijmakers, Lia van Zuylen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Objective(s): Unmet needs of relatives of patients with advanced cancer not only reduce their own health-related quality of life, but may also negatively affect patients' health outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess changes in relatives' unmet needs of patients with advanced cancer in the last year of life and to identify differences in unmet needs by gender and type of relationship. Methods: Relatives of patients with advanced cancer in the Netherlands were included in a prospective, longitudinal, observational study. Relatives' unmet needs were measured every 3 months with an adapted version of the Problems and Needs in Palliative Care (PNPC) questionnaire Caregiver form (44 items, 12 domains). Questionnaires completed in the patients' last year of life were analyzed. Change of unmet needs in the last year, and differences in unmet needs by gender and type of relationship were analyzed. Results: A total of 409 relatives were included with a median of 4 unmet needs in the patient's last year. Unmet needs were most prevalent at all time points during the last year in the domains "caring for the patient" (highest need = 35%) and "psychological issues" (highest need = 40%). The number of unmet needs of relatives did not change significantly during the last year of life ( P=.807). There were no significant differences in the number of unmet needs between male and female partners and between partners and other relatives. Conclusion: The most unmet needs for relatives were in the domains "caring for the patient" and "psychological issues." Professional support should focus on these items. Within these domains, it seems especially important that relatives get more knowledge and support about what scenarios to expect and how to deal with them.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)41-50
JournalJournal of Palliative Care
Volume40
Issue number1
Early online date22 Mar 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 22 Mar 2024

Keywords

  • unmet needs
  • cancer
  • longitudinal
  • relatives
  • palliative care
  • oncology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Relatives' Unmet Needs in the Last Year of Life of Patients With Advanced Cancer: Results of a Dutch Prospective, Longitudinal Study (eQuiPe)'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this