Patients’ Experiences and Medical Personnel Perception: A Comparative Study of Palliative Care Quality
| Author | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
Šeškevičius, A | ||
| Date |
|---|
2023-06-15 |
no. P 2.042
P 2 - Challenges in Symptom Management
Neiašku, kuris Šeškevičius.
Background/aims: In this study, we compare the perception of overall palliative care quality in two study groups: palliative care personnel and it’s patients.Methods: 60 patients and 60 of their medical staff members participated in a survey study. Participants were asked to answer a questionnaire consisting of palliative care quality determining questions. The research was conducted throughout 2020–2021. The patient group consisted of 38 women and 22 men with a diagnosis of terminal illness, age ranging from 56 to 93 years. Results: The most significant difference was seen in the incidence and importance of pain. 83.3% of patients indicated that the pain they suffered had a strong impact on their activities and ability to concentrate. Only 43.3% of the medical personnel noted patients to have such levels of pain. According to the data the perception of other diverse symptoms (nausea, cough and constipation) did not seem to differ significantly between the study groups. Terminal disease also affects patients’ emotional integrity. Patients experienced anxiety more often (84.2%) than indicated by doctors (60%). It is also important to note a strong link between depression and physical discomfort: patients who answered that life is not worth living, felt strong pain constantly (86.67%). Conclusions: The greatest difference in responses between patients and their medical personnel was to do with pain control. It is one of the main problems in the care of palliative patients with terminal disease, because it causes the greatest discomfort. Much research has pointed to the need to strengthen communication between medical staff and patients in order to reach optimal pain control results. Furthermore, the anxiety of patients and their relatives is expressed profoundly. This may indicate a psychological need that the personnel require to address. Interestingly, the incidence of patients having spiritual problems is perceived more often by doctors than by the patients themselves.