Unsolved problems and unwanted decision-making in the last year of life: A qualitative analysis of comments from bereaved caregivers.

Objectives: Patients in their last year of life, as well as their relatives, often feel that existent care structures of the healthcare system do not adequately address their individual needs and challenges. This study analyzes unmet needs in terms of unsolved problems and unwanted decision-making in the health and social care of patients in their last year of life from the perspective of bereaved caregivers.

Methods: This qualitative study is based on free-text comments from informal caregivers of deceased patients collected as part of the Last-Year-of-Life-Study-Cologne (LYOL-C) using a postal survey.