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Grounded Theory is an inductive methodology. Although many call Grounded Theory a qualitative method, it is not. It is a general method. It is the systematic generation of theory from systematic research. It is a set of rigorous research procedures leading to the emergence of conceptual categories.
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abstract
Background: Early palliative care is increasingly recommended but seldom practised. We sought to examine perceptions of palliative care
among patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers.
Methods: After
conducting a cluster randomized controlled trial of early palliative
care versus standard care for patients with advanced
cancer, we approached patients and their
caregivers to participate in semistructured interviews seeking to
assess, qualitatively,
their attitudes and perceptions about palliative
care. We used the grounded theory method for data collection and
analysis.
Results: A total of 48
patients (26 intervention, 22 control) and 23 caregivers (14
intervention, 9 control) completed interviews.
Participants’ initial perceptions of palliative
care in both trial arms were of death, hopelessness, dependency and
end-of-life
comfort care for inpatients. These perceptions
provoked fear and avoidance, and often originated from interactions with
health
care professionals. During the trial, those in
the intervention arm developed a broader concept of palliative care as
“ongoing
care” that improved their “quality of living”
but still felt that the term itself carried a stigma. Participants in
the intervention
group emphasized the need for palliative care to
be reframed and better explained by health care professionals.
Participants
in the control group generally considered it
pointless to rename palliative care, but many in the intervention group
stated
emphatically that a different name was necessary
in the early outpatient setting.
Interpretation: There
is a strong stigma attached to palliative care, which may persist even
after positive experiences with an early palliative
care intervention. Education of the public,
patients and health care providers is paramount if early integration of
palliative
care is to be successful.
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