Moral distress among family caregivers of people with cancer in palliative care: A qualitative study

The study aimed to understand the triggering events of moral distress according to the family caregivers of people with cancer in palliative care. This is a longitudinal qualitative approach study, using the concept of moral distress as an interpretative reference. Ten family caregivers participated in in-depth interviews. The data were analyzed according to the inductive thematic analysis technique, and two themes were identified. In the first theme, entitled "The repercussions following diagnosis," participants reported the uncertainties they experienced following their family member's cancer diagnosis. In the second theme, entitled "The transformation of daily life", participants expressed how providing care for the family member with cancer changed their daily lives. While experiencing the role of a caregiver, they faced dilemmas and uncertainties that led them to feel moral distress, since this situation will follow them continuously until the outcome of the disease.