Development and challenges of palliative care in Indonesia: role of psychosomatic medicine

Abstract

Purpose of reviewTo summarize the current status of palliative care and the role of psychosomatic medicine in Indonesia.Recent findingsPalliative care is not a new issue in Indonesia, which has been improving palliative care since 1992 and developed a palliative care policy in 2007 that was launched by the Indonesian Ministry of Health. However, the progress has been slow and varied across the country. Currently, palliative care services are only available in a few major cities, where most of the facilities for cancer treatment are located. Psychosomatic medical doctors have advantages that contribute to palliative care because of their special training in communication skills to deal with patients from the standpoints of both mind and body.SummaryPalliative care services in Indonesia are established in some hospitals. Future work is needed to build capacity, advocate to stakeholders, create care models that provide services in the community, and to increase the palliative care workforce. Psychosomatic medicine plays an important role in palliative care services.

Palliative care quiz for nurses-Indonesian version (PCQN-I): A cross-cultural adaptation, validity, and reliability study

“…Regarding the difficulty index, Items 5,19,7,3, and 11 were indicated as very difficult (difficulty index <0.20), and Item 18 was indicated as very easy (difficulty index >0.80) among all participants.…”

“…As shown in Table 4, Item 5 "It is crucial for family members to remain at the bedside until death occurs (False)" and Item 19 "The loss of a distant or contentious relationship is easier to resolve than the loss of one that is close or intimate (False)" were answered correctly by the lowest percentage of participants (5.3%, n = 8). Table 4 also shows that Item 18 was very easy (difficulty index >0.80), whereas Items 5,19,7,3, and 11 were very difficult (difficulty index 0.04-0.15). Items 5 and 19 were indicated as poor (discrimination index <0.10).…”

“…The PCQN is a 20-item instrument with true, false, or "don't know" options and used to evaluate palliative care knowledge. It was originally developed by Ross et al 10 and contains the following three domains: philosophy and principles of palliative care (items 1, 9, 12, 17), pain and symptom management (items 2-4, 6-8, 10, 13-16, 18, 20), and psychosocial and spiritual care (items 5,11,19). A correct answer receives one point.…”

“…18 The development of palliative care has been very slow, and there are some contributing factors such as government policy, a culture of strong familial support, lack of palliative care education, and support from regional or local government. 19,20 Furthermore, the concept of palliative care has was not been actually understood by some healthcare providers. 19 Evaluating palliative care knowledge among healthcare providers could identify the misconceptions associated with palliative care and educational needs.…”

“…19,20 Furthermore, the concept of palliative care has was not been actually understood by some healthcare providers. 19 Evaluating palliative care knowledge among healthcare providers could identify the misconceptions associated with palliative care and educational needs. However, there is a lack of instruments developed and validated into Indonesian to examine palliative care knowledge among healthcare providers.…”