Palliative care in the perception of families with patients oncology surgery

Abstract

Introduction: The family's participation in palliative care is usually very high, especially when the patient is in hospice home care. Aim of the study: The study aimed to assess the perception of palliative care by families of oncological patients from Podlaskie Province, Poland. Materials and methods: The study included 108 oncology surgery patients' families, 50.8% women and 49.2% men, aged 40 to 80 years. The study used the method of a diagnostic survey with the use of a proprietary questionnaire. Results: 66.7% of people recognized the hospice as comprehensive care for the terminally ill patient; 74.9% of them had positive associations with the hospice; 82.4% of people believed that death was a natural phenomenon; 75.2% were against euthanasia; according to 89.8%, the information provided to the family in a hospice should be comprehensive; support in the hospice should be provided mainly by a permanent clergyman (76.4%) and people after the loss of a loved one (65.4%); the most desirable religious practices in the hospice were the mass (86.7%), rosary prayer (81.6%), confession (81.2%) and sacraments (81.2%); in the hospice showing a lot of kindness, smile and courtesy on the part of the hospice staff to patients (92.5%) and their families (88.5%); the patient should have unlimited access to a clergyman of his religion (98.8%), a psychologist (98.1%) and a physiotherapist (94.6%) in a hospice; according to 87.3% of patients' family members, the society does not pay much attention to palliative care; problems in hospice care result from the growing number of patients with chronic diseases (96.7%) and the lack of public knowledge about palliative care (92.7%); improvement of the quality of medical care in hospices would be achieved by an increase in the number of staff (87.4%) and an increase in the number of beds (82.4%). Conclusions: In the opinion of most families of patients with cancer, hospice is comprehensive care for terminally ill patients and the right place for terminally ill patients, regardless of their diagnosis. The respondents considered a permanent clergyman and people after the loss of a loved one to be the most appropriate people to provide support to hospice patients. The respondents saw problems in patient care at the end of life, mainly in the increasing number of patients with chronic diseases and the lack of knowledge of society about palliative care, its increase in the number of medical personnel, and the increase in the number of beds. The respondents considered the hospice as a place for people suffering from an incurable disease, regardless of the diagnosis, in which the patient does not feel lonely, has support, can feel safe, and as a form of care for the patient, it would be recommended to other families