The Need for Hospice Care as a Preferred Environment of Death in Terminal Cancers: A Neglected Research Area in Turkey

Abstract

In the context of end-of-life practices in Turkey, the researchers considered it important to reveal the need for hospice care in Turkey since the number of palliative care units is low and they do not meet the needs, hospice care services are absent, and intensive care units are misused in parallel with these deficiencies. The researchers addressed the subject with a phenomenological qualitative approach. The views of healthcare professionals and patient relatives who cared for terminal cancer patients. In the context of the environment of death preferences were of interest. The study was conducted in the city center of Manisa, one of the 30 metropolitan cities located in the western region of Turkey. Of the 23 participants, 18 were healthcare professionals working in the field of oncology, and five participants were primary caregivers who lost their loved ones with terminal cancer. The caregiver family members were the family members who provided care to the terminal cancer patient with their own means at home and accompanied the patient's treatment process, since there was no hospice care. A semi-structured interview guide was utilized for the in-depth interviews. Data were transcribed by the researchers and coded in MAXQDA 2020, subjected to thematic analysis, and divided into units of meaning. At the final stage of the study, the units of meaning were combined, and four basic themes were revealed: the conceptualization of the environment of death preferences, the problems caused by death in the hospital, the necessity of hospice care, and hospice care for caregivers. The study results demonstrated that hospice care was an essential need in Turkey, and the workload of hospitals would decrease, and hospital resources could be used efficiently in the presence of hospices. At the same time, it was understood that hospices were services making it easier for terminal cancer patients and their caregivers to face death with peaceful expectations.