Challenges and coping strategies when caring for terminally ill persons with cancer: perspectives of family caregivers.

INTRODUCTION: Terminal illness is an irreversible illness that, without life-sustaining procedures, usually results in death or permanent disability from which recovery is unlikely. When involved, family caregivers are believed to improve health outcomes, such as reduced hospitalization, and establishing a patient's initial access to professional treatment services. However, caring for a patient with a terminal illness is viewed as one of the most difficult aspects of providing care. This study aimed to identify the challenges, and coping strategies developed by family caregivers to cope with the care of the terminally ill person. METHODS: An exploratory descriptive qualitative approach was used. Twenty (20) family caregivers voluntarily participated in the study from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. The transcribed interviews were then analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: From the analysis, three main themes emerged: challenges, coping strategies, and social support. These themes encompassed sixteen subthemes including financial burden, bad health conditions, faith and prayer, and support from health professionals. From the study, both male and female family caregivers narrated that providing care for sick relatives undergoing terminal disease is characterized as a daily duty demanding one's time and fraught with emotional strain. In addition, even though it was a difficult job, family members who provided care for ailing relatives never gave up, citing responsibility, the importance of family, and religious beliefs as the primary motivations for doing so. CONCLUSION: The difficulties and demands of family caregiving roles for terminally ill relatives are complex and multifactorial. The findings call for multidisciplinary professional attention for family caregivers and policies that will support their lives holistically.

The development of a framework for clinical education programme of undergraduate nursing students in Ghana.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical education is an important aspect of the training of nursing students but it is faced with challenges in Ghana. The development of a framework will respond to the need for improvement in the quality of clinical nursing education. This study describes part of a larger study which culminated in the development of a framework for a clinical education programme for undergraduate nursing students in Ghana. The aim of the current study was to integrate findings from a scoping review and situational analysis to develop a framework for clinical education in nursing. METHODS: A sequential multimethod design approach was used to conduct the study. A scoping review on the practices that facilitate clinical nursing education and situational analysis were first conducted. The lessons learnt from the scoping review and the situational analysis provided the data matrix that was triangulated to develop the framework. The framework was developed using the model for clinical education developed by South African Nursing Education Stakeholders in consultation with experts in nursing education. An implementation plan was developed from the framework and evaluated using a Delphi technique. FINDINGS: The resulting framework indicates the need for effective communication and collaboration between nursing education institution and the service setting to ensure that there is a well-structured clinical placement, formal supervision system and effective clinical assessment of students. The framework also proposes that to ensure quality clinical nursing education there is the need for Nursing Education Institutions to implement innovative and cost-effective clinical teaching methods. CONCLUSION: The framework spells out the functions of the various stakeholders in nursing education and how these can be integrated and implemented to enhance quality clinical nursing education. Effectiveness of the thematic areas of the framework will increase the quality of clinical nursing education.