Caregiver Involvement in Hospice Interdisciplinary Team Meetings: A case study

Involving caregivers in hospice interdisciplinary team (IDT) meetings has been offered as a potential solution to caregivers ' unmet communication needs. This case study details one caregiver's participation in her mother's hospice interdisciplinary team care planning meetings, both in person and via videophone technology. This preliminary case is offered as part of a larger National Cancer Institute sponsored study investigating involvement of caregivers in team meetings using videophone technology. This analysis highlights communication differences between the two mediums as well as measures caregiver outcomes. Findings noted differences in team leadership and verbal validation and remediation between the two mediums. Caregiver outcomes revealed potential benefits of their involvement in team meetings. Caregiver-team communication issues are noted including the need for standardized caregiver assessment and team education and training. Keywords caregiver; interdisciplinary team; videophone technology; communication Hospice caregivers report anxiety about patient care, uncertainty regarding treatment, role changes within family, transportation needs, strained financial resources, physical restrictions