No abstract

Quality EOL care for older populations requires many core components but the local context and implementation issues may ultimately determine if these elements can be incorporated into the system to improve care. Changes at the macro-level (system/national), meso-level (organizational), and micro-level (individual) will be required to successfully implement service changes to provide holistic and person-centered EOL care for elderly populations.

Health care and social care service providers recognise the need for collaborative work to enhance continuity of care and ageing in place; however, their efforts are hindered by the identified barriers that need to be dealt with in practical terms and by a change of policy.

Background: In response to population aging, there is a need for health systems to focus on care for chronic disease, specifically palliative care, while focusing on people-centered care. The objective of this study is to explore the healthcare system enablers and barriers to the provision of quality palliative and end-of-life care from the perspective of healthcare professionals. Materials and Methods: Using purposive sampling, fifteen focus group interviews and nine individual interviews involving 72 healthcare providers were conducted. Primary qualitative data were collected between May 2016 and July 2017. All recorded discussions were transcribed verbatim and analyzed. A thematic framework was developed. Results: The provision of quality palliative and end-of-life care is influenced by the interaction and integration of nine sub-themes under four identified themes: (1) political context; (2) organization setting; (3) support to patients, caregivers, and family members, and (4) healthcare workers and the public. Conclusions: Integration of palliative and end-of-life care is an important pillar of healthcare service to improve quality of life by addressing patients’ values, wishes and preference, and assist their family to handle challenges at the end stage of life. Further improvements to the service framework would be required, specifically in the political framework, multidisciplinary approach, and readiness and competence in healthcare workers and community. These were highlighted in our study as key components in service provision to ensure that patients can receive continuous and integrated care between hospitals and the community as well as dignified care at the end stage of life.

Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region have committed to universal health coverage (UHC), which is reflected in both their political commitment and the governance actions they have taken in steering their health systems toward the goals of universal access to care and protection from financial hardship. Countries throughout the region are at different stages of development and have different political and governance contexts, which in turn shape how they pursue governance for UHC. This article reviews the governance functions deployed in the Asia-Pacific and finds that, in many, governance reforms adapting their health systems toward greater regulation, accountability, oversight, and stewardship of the health system have been part of their wider move toward UHC. Countries have not followed a set pattern, but shared aspects include establishing UHC as a goal in national policy making and priority setting; the creation of new roles and/ or new institutions within the health system; establishing systems of monitoring and evaluation; and putting in place mechanisms to facilitate collaboration and ensure greater accountability. The relationship between governance and UHC in the Asia-Pacific region is found to be complex, negotiated, and shaped by a number of factors in both the internal and external environment, including broader governance arrangements in the public sector (institutional changes and decentralization are particularly prominent factors) and the ability of governments to implement policies and steer the health system.