Palliative Care Nursing in Oman; Moving towards Palliative Care Nursing

Abstract

Oman has witnessed great achievements in the past four decades especially in its healthcare services that has been recognized by the World Health Organizations and many other international organizations. These developments and achievements reduced the infant mortality rate and the incidence of communicable diseases in the country. With these changes, Oman has witnessed demographic and epidemiological changes in its structure leading to increased longevity and increased prevalence of non-communicable chronic diseases. This generated the need for palliative care services in the country with a major role that nurses are required to undertake. Palliative care nurses work with individuals and their families who are suffering from a life-threatening illnesses. They work in order to improve the quality of life of these people through prevention and control of suffering; early detection and thorough assessment, diagnosis and management of pain and other problems associated with their illness whether it is physical or psychosocial or spiritual. They provide care at multiple levels including primary, secondary and tertiary health services. They work with an interdisciplinary team in different care settings. This paper will explore the need for palliative care specialist nursing services in Oman. It will discuss the sporadic efforts that have been put in place in order to establish and integrate such service into the current healthcare system. It will recommend and draw a roadmap for paving the way towards an interdisciplinary collaborative palliative care service to be offered in the country for those who need it in different settings.