Palliative care for patients with substance use disorder and multiple problems: a qualitative study on experiences of healthcare professionals, volunteers and experts-by-experience

Table 2 Characteristics of HCP/VE

Participants				52
Mean age in years (SD)				49.7 (12.8)
Gender
Male				14 (27%)
Female				38 (73%)
Occupation
Nurse (practical nurse, general nurse, nurse practitioner)^a				23 (44%)
Social worker / personal carer (not medically trained)				6 (12%)
General Practitioner				4 (8%)
Addiction physician				4 (8%)
Volunteer				4 (8%)
Pain specialist (anesthesiologist) consultant in palliative care				2 (4%)
Psychologist				2 (4%)
Other, e.g. spiritual worker, care-coordinator, psychiatrist				7 (13%)
Setting
Addiction or psychiatry				21 (40%)
Palliative or terminal care				16 (30%)
Both				12 (23%)
General or other care				3 (6%)
Experience in current profession in years (mean)				11.4
Mean number of patients with SUD in palliative care phase cared for / supported in past 3 years
1–10				39 (75%)
11–20				8 (15%)
21–30				2 (4%)
31–40				1 (2%)
300				2 (4%)
Self-reported competency in addiction per setting^b
	Addiction or psychiatry	Palliative or terminal care	Both	General or other care
Mean (SD)	7.5 (0.9)	5.9 (1.6)	7.3 (1.2)	5.8 (0.3)
Self-reported competency in palliative care per setting^c
	Addiction or psychiatry	Palliative or terminal care	Both	General or other care
Mean (SD)	6.2 (1.8)	7.8 (1.0)	7.3 (1.4)	6.5 (2.3)

^aRespective education levels of these participating nurses are: secondary vocational education; university of applied science; university; ^bTheoretical range: 1–10; ^cIdem

ISSN: 1472-684X