A survey on end of life care practices in intensive care units of three government teaching hospitals in Namibia
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Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
Background: End of life (EOL) care may be described as care provided for patients in the final hours or days of their life. More broadly it’s defined as care for all patients with a terminal illness that is deemed progressive and incurable. It implies a focus on pain and symptom management which is distinct from the aggressive pursuit of investigation and therapies focused on cure. End of life care in the ICU however involves a substantial degree of emotional and psychological stress both for health care providers as well as the family members. Significance of the study: The study aimed to evaluate the current practices of EOL care in a lifesaving department like the intensive care unit. It also intended to evaluate the knowledge of EOL care practices among ICU health professions and to identify gaps that would require improvement. Methodology: This was a mixed study that used the sequential explanatory design. It had a quantitative study phase 1 and a qualitative study phase 2. The quantitative method looked at the experience of health care workers on EOL care as the dependent variable with relation to age, training background, gender, and years of employment and facility of employment. The qualitative method approach was used to assess the knowledge and attitudes of family members and health care providers on EOL care. This methodology was achieved through cross-sectional surveys and a series of questionnaire-based interviews. Findings: About 59.7% of the respondents had never heard the term EOL care. In addition, less than half of them reported that the decision to offer EOL care to patients rested with the attending physicians. Furthermore, 50% of the study participants believed that family members do not take part in the decision to offer their patients EOL care. Conclusion: EOL is an essential part of patient management. Not only for the patient but also focuses on family members and health care workers as it has an effect on their emotional, mental health, as well as physical health. Recommendations: Improve communication between health care workers and family members and continuous medical education to be offered to health care workers on EOL care.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master in Medicine (Anaesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Management)
Keywords
Life care, ICU, Teaching hospital