Family caregiver's experiences in caring for a patient with terminal cancer at home in Japan.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to clarify the care experience of primary caregivers when caring for a terminal cancer patient in the home with the assistance of a home palliative care service. Participants were asked to provide background data and to evaluate their experience of caregiving and of the patient's response throughout the period of home palliative care, up to the time of death.

Methods: One hundred twelve primary family caregivers were a mailed self-report questionnaire, and 74 valid questionnaires were returned (response rate 66%).

Measuring the quality of structure and process in end-of-life care from the bereaved family perspective.

Measurement of the structure/process of care is the first step in improving end-of-life care. The primary aim of this study was to psychometrically validate an instrument for directly measuring the bereaved family's perception of the necessity for improvement in structural/procedural aspects of palliative care. Different sets of questionnaires were sent to 800 and 425 families who lost family members at one of 70 certified palliative care units in Japan in the development and validation phases, respectively, and 281 families of the latter group in the follow-up phase.

Existential concerns of terminally ill cancer patients receiving specialized palliative care in Japan.

Background: Although alleviation of existential distress is important for terminally ill cancer patients, the concept of existential distress has not been fully understood. The aim of this study was to categorize existential concerns of Japanese terminally ill cancer patients and explore care strategies based on the categorizations.

Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study in 88 terminally ill cancer patients receiving specialized inpatient palliative care was performed.

Distress of inpatients with terminal cancer in Japanese palliative care units: from the viewpoint of spirituality.

A qualitative study was conducted in an attempt to improve our understanding of the spiritual distress of terminally ill cancer patients in Japan. The subjects were inpatients at four approved palliative care units in Japan. The patients were interviewed and they expressed their own experiences in which spirituality was considered to be identifiable.

Multiprofessional team approach in palliative care units in Japan.

Health-care providers engaged in palliative care experience difficulty with the practice of team care. However, the details of the difficulties have not been not clarified. To obtain an overview of team care in the Japanese palliative inpatient care setting, a descriptive and cross-sectional study was performed.