‘‘While There’s Life There’s Hope’’ Hope in Palliative Care: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Hope is a critically important concept in palliative care that enables coping and increases quality of life. This qualitative study was conducted to determine how palliative care patients describe hope and the factors that increase or decrease hope after a hope intervention. Data were collected through semi-structural interviews with 10 palliative care patients. The analysis followed a thematic analysis approach. The participants defined hope as the joy of living in general, and the strength to cope with difficulties and stated that spending time with loved ones increased their hopes, the worsening of their diseases reduced their hopes, hope made them feel good psychologically, and health workers had an important role in increasing hope. It is recommended that hope interventions be person-centric in palliative care settings and that care should be structured by considering the factors that maintain and prevent hope.