ABSTRACT
Numerous books and articles have been written about the negative experiences of patients in health care systems. These accounts are often troubling, not just due to the descriptions of caregivers’ insensitivity and apathy to situations of human suffering, but for the implication that people who have dedicated their careers to care for others could demonstrate callousness to those who are vulnerable and in need of their care and compassion. However, a bigger picture perspective of these scenarios needs to occur, allowing for a better understanding of the contextual forces that have an impact upon patients and the professionals who care for them. It is these social, political, and economic influences that often cause significant wounding to the health care providers’ caring capacity, which in turn, can further add to the suffering of those in their care. Interestingly, research on the stresses and strains experienced by hospice and palliative care workers has indicated that environmental and structural stresses typically cause much more distress than working with dying patients and their families (Keidel, 2002; Payne, 2001; Vachon, 1995; Weissman, 2009). In this chapter, we will explore how social and contextual factors can have a profound effect upon both patients and health care workers alike in palliative and hospice care settings.
