1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The aim of our study was to better understand the EOL (end of life) services offered in Nunavik and to identify whether there were ways to improve the quality of EOL care for patients and families.» (p. 8)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
A total of 103 people participated in this study (nurses, interpreters, hospital administration workers, social services, physicians, spiritual advisors, child educators, local governance, grief councillors, wellness workers, family members, family helpers). «Focused ethnography was used as a means through which to gather information. Information was attained through field visits, observations and structured and unstructured dialogues.» (p. 8)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«Care-providers stated that most terminally ill patients preferred to die in their homes where they are surrounded by friends, family and familiar home and community environments. Families and communities would go through great lengths to respect these wishes, often in collaboration with the local health center or regional hospitals. Families often preferred to have the patient at home for the final days of life as their own grieving process was supported when family, friends and neighbours surrounded them during the final days of a patient’s life. Women tended to be the primary caregivers for family members who are dying in the home: wives, daughters and granddaughters. Men did become involved as they may have been needed to lift or move the patient and when women were unable to provide needed care. In Nunavik, the definition of family is widened, creating a broader system of relations through which EOL decisions are made and care-giving responsibilities are assumed. For example, the children of nieces and nephews were also identified as one’s grandchildren and could act as key decision-makers and caregivers. Family members who had been separated by adoption as infants or youth would, at times, return and engage in providing EOL care for members of their birth family.» (p. 23)