What makes the palliative care initial encounter meaningful? A descriptive study with patients with cancer, family carers and palliative care professionals

Background: The palliative care initial encounter can have a positive impact on the quality of life of patients and family carers if it proves to be a meaningful experience. A better understanding of what makes the encounter meaningful would reinforce the provision of person-centred, quality palliative care. Aim: To explore the expectations that patients with cancer, family carers and palliative care professionals have of this initial encounter. Design: Qualitative descriptive study with content analysis of transcripts from 60 semi-structured interviews. Setting/participants: Twenty patients with cancer, 20 family carers and 20 palliative care professionals from 10 institutions across Spain. Results: Four themes were developed from the analysis of interviews: (1) the initial encounter as an opportunity to understand what palliative care entails; (2) individualised care; (3) professional commitment to the patient and family carers: present and future; and (4) acknowledgement. Conclusion: The initial encounter becomes meaningful when it facilitates a shared understanding of what palliative care entails and acknowledgement of the needs and/or roles of patients with cancer, family carers and professionals. Further studies are required to explore how a perception of acknowledgement may best be fostered in the initial encounter.