Fjose M, Eilertsen G, Kirkevold M, Grov EK. “Non-palliative care” – a qualitative study of older cancer patients’ and their family members’ experiences with the health care system. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):74528
Finding 1	Families expressed low confidence in the GP’s competence (U)
Illustration	“The doctor just does not really know anything about this; you should keep far away from him. You need to go to where the expertise is.”(p.5)
Finding 2	Some families thus blamed the GP for the patient’s poor prognosis (U)
Illustration	“He should have seen this a long time ago.”(p.6)
Finding 3	Many patients did not wish to, or were unable to, maintain contact with the health services and handle the information regarding their own health situation (U)
Illustration	“When I’m at the doctors, and he tries to explain something, I hardly listen to what he says.”(p.6)
Finding 4	More or less completely delegated that responsibility to their family members (U)
Illustration	“My daughter has ‘taken over’ me.”(p.6)
Finding 5	It seemed easier for the patient to delegate and for family members to take over when a spouse or family member had health service training (U)
Illustration	“She [daughter-in-law] is after all a trained nurse. She is ready for action. That makes me feel safe.”(p.7)
Finding 6	The cancer nurse was the same over time and an important resource for the families. She communicated information and helped families navigate the health care system (U)
Illustration	“And then she [cancer nurse] takes care of things that we can’t do, such as talk to the people at the hospital.”(p.8)
Finding 7	Most families found the health services to be fragmented … Lack of continuity … left little room for patients and family members to receive answers to their questions (U)
Illustration	“I never had the same doctor, I’ve been in contact with a whole series of them. In addition, then they would spend the time reading my journal. I learned nothing new about my treatment. In addition, then I just had to leave. I felt I did not really have anything to do there.”(p.8)
Finding 8	The families did not want HCNs to always send new people to their homes. It was particularly difficult for patients to receive care from strangers, who did not know their needs, and this meant unpredictability concerning how help would be given (U)
Illustration	“I think about those nurses, they can’t really bathe me either … They can hardly touch me without me getting bruises.”(p.8)

U, unequivocal; GP, general practitioner; HCNs, home care nurses.