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The meaning of occupation for patients in palliative care when in hospital

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2016

Lina Eriksson ,
Inger Öster  and
Margareta Lindberg
Lina Eriksson*
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy, Unit of Research, Education, and Development, Östersund, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Inger Öster
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Margareta Lindberg
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Lina Eriksson, Östersunds sjukhus, 83183 Östersund, Sweden. E-Mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective:

The aim of this study was to describe how patients in palliative care relate to occupation during hospitalization and to define the meaning it has for them.

Method:

Eight inpatients in palliative care with various cancer diagnoses were interviewed one time. These interviews were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results:

Patients experience occupations as meaningful when in hospital during the last period of their lives. They would like to be able to handle their own needs as much as possible. Staff behavior, the design of the environment, the lack of accessible occupations, and the degree to which patients can decide whether to receive or decline visits affect the possibility to make their wishes a reality. Our results also revealed that patients experience a sense of loss of their role, as well as a lack of control and participation.

Significance of Results:

Our results confirm the importance of occupation and of patients having the option to and being given opportunities to take care of themselves when in palliative care. Further studies are needed to enable us to understand how organized occupations might influence patients' experience of being in a hospital during the final period of life.

Keywords

Meaningful activityLife-threatening illnessHospitalizationQualitative content analysisMeaning
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 14 , Issue 5 , October 2016 , pp. 541 - 552
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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