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The evaluation of a palliative care programme for people suffering from life‐limiting diseases
Author(s) -
Chan Carmen WH,
Chui Ying Yu,
Chair Sek Ying,
Sham Michael MK,
Lo Raymond SK,
Ng Catalina SM,
Chan Helen YL,
Lai David CY
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1111/jocn.12094
Subject(s) - palliative care , psychosocial , medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , nursing , family medicine , advance care planning , psychiatry
Aims and objectives To report on the effectiveness of an eight‐week palliative care programme in H ong K ong. Background A recent survey reported that the quality of palliative care services in H ong K ong ranked the 20th among 40 countries and it is far behind other A sian countries. There are disagreement and inadequate communication in clinical decision‐making among patients, families and healthcare professionals, and that the nurses lack sufficient knowledge and skills in providing palliative care and advance care planning. Design A pretest post‐test design and semi‐structured interviews were adopted. Methods A total of 108 home care patients with life‐limiting disease and their family caregivers in H ong K ong were recruited to complete a set of questionnaire including T he M c G ill Q uality of L ife Q uestionnaire for H ong K ong C hinese and the F amily S atisfaction S cale before and after they attended an eight‐week programme. The programme comprised the elements of symptom management, intensive communication on advance care planning and psychosocial intervention. Results Pearson's chi‐square tests and W ilcoxon matched paired tests show a general trend that the patients' quality of life was improved after the programme. Their understanding and active participation in advance care planning was also improved. The hospital readmission rate and the days of hospital stays were significantly reduced. In qualitative interview, four major themes were identified that are as follows: improvement in the communication of treatment plans and after‐death arrangements, symptom management, emotional support and suggested areas of improvement. Conclusion The study supports the benefit of implementing a palliative care programme to patients with life‐limiting disease. Patients demonstrated improved understanding and changed behaviour as regards the preparation for death and dying after the eight‐week programme. Relevance to clinical practice The programme could be replicated in other hospitals and infirmaries that offer home care services.