Abstract
Background: The worldwide need for palliative care is high, especially in mid- income countries like Ecuador, where the percentage of patients receiving such care is very small due to the scarcity of infrastructure and specialized personnel and to the unequal distribution in the country. The objective of this study is to explore the knowledge, attitudes and expectations related to palliative care of the physicians in Ecuador. Methods: A qualitative study based on 28 semi-structured interviews, from March 2014 to November 2016, with physicians working in four cities in Ecuador recruited through the snowball technique. Thematic analysis was developed supported by the ATLAS.ti software. Results: Five core themes were identified: (1) training, (2) health policy, (3) professionals’ activities, (4) health services and (5) development of palliative care in Ecuador. Conclusions: Strategies are needed which intensify the training of medical professional in palliative care, as well as avail the human resources and materials for providing it.
Highlights
Palliative care (PC) arises with the intention to provide quality of life to patients facing incurable, life-threatening diseases, and to their relatives by means of providing holistic care which includes psychological and spiritual support, in the moments close to the end-of-life, and during the death and mourning [1]
The intention was to cover a wide range of professional experience, from 2 to 38 years in more than 10 specializations related to pain management and to PC, among which oncology (10) stands out, followed by anesthesiology (5) and by family medicine (4)
Apart from the general training, the one received in relation to PC was taken into account, ranging from attendance to conferences and courses to completing the master’s degree in PC, as well as studies derived from its specialization
Summary
Palliative care (PC) arises with the intention to provide quality of life to patients facing incurable, life-threatening diseases, and to their relatives by means of providing holistic care which includes psychological and spiritual support, in the moments close to the end-of-life, and during the death and mourning [1]. For this reason, such care is to be performed by a team of professionals that can include physicians from different specializations, nurses, social workers, physical, occupational and speech therapists, nutritionists, pharmacologists, psychologists, voluntary personnel and spiritual counselors (depending on the different religious beliefs), among others. Conclusions: Strategies are needed which intensify the training of medical professional in palliative care, as well as avail the human resources and materials for providing it
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