New Doctoral Thesis on Support for Relatives in Palliative Care at Home
- Post by: Alper Idrisoglu
- 10 May, 2026
- No Comment
Congratulations to Dr. Elina Mikaelsson Midlöv on her doctoral thesis:
“Standing next to but not being part of: Support for relatives in general palliative care at home.”
The thesis explores how relatives are supported by healthcare professionals before and after a patient’s death when general palliative care is provided at home. Based on four studies involving both relatives and registered nurses, the findings show that relatives often receive some support, but that it is frequently experienced as insufficient, unstructured, and not fully adapted to their needs.
The thesis highlights the importance of structured, person-centred support, continuous communication, shared responsibility, and emotional support both before and after death. It also shows that healthcare professionals need better organisational conditions to support relatives effectively.
This work makes an important contribution to palliative care research by emphasising that relatives must be seen as individuals with their own needs, not only as support persons for the patient.