Authors : Kalpana Khandheria, Manish R. Pandya
DOI : 10.18231/2394-2754.2018.0038
Volume : 5
Issue : 1
Year : 0
Page No : 167-171
Introduction: Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification, assessment and treatment of pain, and other problems – physical, psychosocial, and spiritual.
Objective: The goal of Moments of Life: Made Possible by Hospice “SAMVEDANA” is to make aware the public about the choices we all have when facing a life-limiting illness and start having benefit of it to reduce their agony.
The Aim is “To put life into their days and not just days into their life” - The idea is to help the person have a meaningful life, not just to live somehow till deaths concerned with quality of life.
Materials and Methods: This was achieved with a study of 21 patients attended day care hospice during three- month study period. McGill quality of life questionnaire, and a new measure of patient satisfaction with hospice care were used.
Result: All patients were getting appropriate psychosocial and spiritual support in addition to the medical / nursing interventions.
Palliative care at Hospice Samvedana Affirms:
1. Life and regards dying as a normal process.
2. Neither hastens nor postpones death.
3. Provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms.
4. Is a team approach.
5. Is individual specific – depends on assessment of patient and family needs.
6. Shifts emphasis from technology to people – “high touch-low tech”.
7. Is a partnership between the patient & the team.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that satisfaction with hospice care was associated with quality of life more than symptoms. Patients can assess their care and can provide valuable information for improving palliative care.
Training of medical officers and health care professionals, and sensitization of the public through awareness campaigns are vital to improve the scope and coverage of palliative care. Process of translating palliative care plan into action requires strong leadership, competent management, political support and integration across all levels of care.
Keywords: Samvedana, palliative care, hospice, Patient satisfaction, Quality of life.