Emotional experiences in palliative care and professional quality of life: a qualitative approach.

Objective: To explore the experiences that significantly impact the professional quality of life of people providing palliative care (PC) in Ecuador. Design: Observational cross-sectional qualitative research. Methods: In September 2022, 10 focus groups were carried out in four cities in Ecuador; each group lasted from 1 to 2 h, was audio recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Recruitment was conducted through convenience sampling, and a total of 71 individuals (15 students, 50 professionals, and 6 volunteers) linked to PC participated. Content analysis with a phenomenological and inductive approach was used to analyze the data. Results: People recognized their experiences in PC as having positive and negative impacts on their professional quality of life. Experiences were mapped as affecting them at individual, relational, and contextual levels. These experiences included personal growth, opportunity to provide care, teamwork, death-related issues, inability to deal with work-related stress, social acceptance of PC, and dealing with inefficient health systems, among others. Conclusion: Despite the positive emotions that arise with caring for others, individuals working and volunteering in PC experience situations that influence their professional quality of life. Addressing these factors to increase satisfaction and ease the burden of PC work is essential. Undergraduate education, continuous professional training, and PC teams should incorporate actions to address these factors at all levels, such as teaching coping skills, fostering social support, and increasing awareness of PC. Plain language summary: How experiences shape professional quality of life in palliative care This study explored how working in palliative care impacts the professional quality of life of people providing palliative care in Ecuador. The research team conducted 10 focus groups in four cities in Ecuador with 71 participants. The results show that people's experiences impact their professional quality of life in positive and negative ways. These experiences also affect people at individual, relational, and contextual levels. This study has identified common experiences that should be addressed to increase satisfaction and ease the burden of working in palliative care. These should be considered in undergraduate education, continuous professional training, and within palliative care teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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