Conference abstract
Exploring patients, family and provider's experiences and practices in palliative care among colorectal cancer patients in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Pan African Medical Journal - Conference Proceedings. 2024:21(24).29
Apr 2024.
doi: 10.11604/pamj-cp.2024.21.24.2355
Archived on: 29 Apr 2024
Contact the corresponding author
Keywords: Palliative care, colorectal, experience
Oral presentation
Exploring patients, family and provider's experiences and practices in palliative care among colorectal cancer patients in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Agness Kajungu1,&, Julius Ntwenya2, James Kengia2
1School of Nursing and Public Health, The University of Dodoma, P.O. Box 395, Dodoma, Tanzania
&Corresponding author
Introduction: the need for palliative care services is critical everywhere due to rise in cancer-related illnesses including colorectal cancer that cause terminal sickness. Despite the urgent need for palliative care, Tanzania's palliative care services are still not up to par, which continues to endanger the lives of patients everywhere. Palliative care is inadequately practiced, experienced and perceived by healthcare providers, patients, and families and no improvements have been made.
Methods: study used grounded theory with qualitative design to generate theory from the analysed data. The sample were determined by saturation whereby 18 participants in depth interviews and 12 participants in focus group discussions.
Results: the practice of palliative care services among healthcare workers noted to be unsatisfactory attributed by inadequate palliative care training, missing of palliative tools and unavailability of enough care providers. There was variation of palliative care experience to patients ranging to positive experience attributed to care given by health care givers while other had negative that attributed by being neglected, isolated and low economic status of the family. In contrast, some patients had positive attitude due to perceived satisfaction for care received during their past visit to health care facilities.
Conclusion: results shows different factors, including lack of trained staff, lack of Standard Operating Procedures and guidelines, low socioeconomic status, inadequate medical equipment, and patient’s prior treatment history that affect experience, attitude and practices of palliative care. Therefore, palliative care unit should be given priority like any other health care services by ensuring all essential services are available.
Exploring patients, family and provider's experiences and practices in palliative care among colorectal cancer patients in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Agness Kajungu1,&, Julius Ntwenya2, James Kengia2
1School of Nursing and Public Health, The University of Dodoma, P.O. Box 395, Dodoma, Tanzania
&Corresponding author
Introduction: the need for palliative care services is critical everywhere due to rise in cancer-related illnesses including colorectal cancer that cause terminal sickness. Despite the urgent need for palliative care, Tanzania's palliative care services are still not up to par, which continues to endanger the lives of patients everywhere. Palliative care is inadequately practiced, experienced and perceived by healthcare providers, patients, and families and no improvements have been made.
Methods: study used grounded theory with qualitative design to generate theory from the analysed data. The sample were determined by saturation whereby 18 participants in depth interviews and 12 participants in focus group discussions.
Results: the practice of palliative care services among healthcare workers noted to be unsatisfactory attributed by inadequate palliative care training, missing of palliative tools and unavailability of enough care providers. There was variation of palliative care experience to patients ranging to positive experience attributed to care given by health care givers while other had negative that attributed by being neglected, isolated and low economic status of the family. In contrast, some patients had positive attitude due to perceived satisfaction for care received during their past visit to health care facilities.
Conclusion: results shows different factors, including lack of trained staff, lack of Standard Operating Procedures and guidelines, low socioeconomic status, inadequate medical equipment, and patient’s prior treatment history that affect experience, attitude and practices of palliative care. Therefore, palliative care unit should be given priority like any other health care services by ensuring all essential services are available.
