Equity-Focused Palliative and End-of-Life Care in a System Not Designed for it: Qualitative Insights from Service Providers and Recipients
‘Equity-focused care’ has gained attention in recent years. With widespread use, concepts take on different meanings creating confusion for service providers. This study examines what people experiencing homelessness with life-limiting illnesses value in equity-focused care, and how service provider...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Global Qualitative Nursing Research |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/23333936251350107 |
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| author | Courtney R. Petruik Lauren Wan-Sai-Cheong Helen Hagos Katrina Milaney |
| author_facet | Courtney R. Petruik Lauren Wan-Sai-Cheong Helen Hagos Katrina Milaney |
| author_sort | Courtney R. Petruik |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ‘Equity-focused care’ has gained attention in recent years. With widespread use, concepts take on different meanings creating confusion for service providers. This study examines what people experiencing homelessness with life-limiting illnesses value in equity-focused care, and how service providers—who identify their work as equity-focused—describe their roles within a care system that relies on, yet often undervalues, this kind of work. We conducted 11 interviews with service providers and seven with people experiencing homelessness with a life-limiting illness and who received care from a community-based palliative care team in Western Canada. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed via thematic analysis. We constructed three themes: Adapting to Individual Needs; Service Provider Orientation to Practice ; and Being Present with People . Themes aligned with two spheres of influence from the Education Training Research’s Health Equity Framework: Relationships and Networks and Systems of Power . Findings highlighted that service providers deliver equity-focused care by developing strong relational care networks challenging existing power structures –making this model incongruent with existing individually-focused biomedical care models. Findings transform the theoretical concept, ‘equity-focused care’, into tangible knowledge that highlights areas for policy change to support equity-focused care. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2d0990c9edac4fa4995e14a3560b3e37 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2333-3936 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Qualitative Nursing Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-2d0990c9edac4fa4995e14a3560b3e372025-08-20T02:07:34ZengSAGE PublishingGlobal Qualitative Nursing Research2333-39362025-06-011210.1177/23333936251350107Equity-Focused Palliative and End-of-Life Care in a System Not Designed for it: Qualitative Insights from Service Providers and RecipientsCourtney R. Petruik0Lauren Wan-Sai-Cheong1Helen Hagos2Katrina Milaney3University of Calgary, AB, CanadaUniversity of Windsor, Windsor, ON, CanadaUniversity of Calgary, AB, CanadaUniversity of Calgary, AB, Canada‘Equity-focused care’ has gained attention in recent years. With widespread use, concepts take on different meanings creating confusion for service providers. This study examines what people experiencing homelessness with life-limiting illnesses value in equity-focused care, and how service providers—who identify their work as equity-focused—describe their roles within a care system that relies on, yet often undervalues, this kind of work. We conducted 11 interviews with service providers and seven with people experiencing homelessness with a life-limiting illness and who received care from a community-based palliative care team in Western Canada. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed via thematic analysis. We constructed three themes: Adapting to Individual Needs; Service Provider Orientation to Practice ; and Being Present with People . Themes aligned with two spheres of influence from the Education Training Research’s Health Equity Framework: Relationships and Networks and Systems of Power . Findings highlighted that service providers deliver equity-focused care by developing strong relational care networks challenging existing power structures –making this model incongruent with existing individually-focused biomedical care models. Findings transform the theoretical concept, ‘equity-focused care’, into tangible knowledge that highlights areas for policy change to support equity-focused care.https://doi.org/10.1177/23333936251350107 |
| spellingShingle | Courtney R. Petruik Lauren Wan-Sai-Cheong Helen Hagos Katrina Milaney Equity-Focused Palliative and End-of-Life Care in a System Not Designed for it: Qualitative Insights from Service Providers and Recipients Global Qualitative Nursing Research |
| title | Equity-Focused Palliative and End-of-Life Care in a System Not Designed for it: Qualitative Insights from Service Providers and Recipients |
| title_full | Equity-Focused Palliative and End-of-Life Care in a System Not Designed for it: Qualitative Insights from Service Providers and Recipients |
| title_fullStr | Equity-Focused Palliative and End-of-Life Care in a System Not Designed for it: Qualitative Insights from Service Providers and Recipients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Equity-Focused Palliative and End-of-Life Care in a System Not Designed for it: Qualitative Insights from Service Providers and Recipients |
| title_short | Equity-Focused Palliative and End-of-Life Care in a System Not Designed for it: Qualitative Insights from Service Providers and Recipients |
| title_sort | equity focused palliative and end of life care in a system not designed for it qualitative insights from service providers and recipients |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/23333936251350107 |
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