Quality of life of the cancer patients receiving home-based palliative care in Dhaka city of Bangladesh

Abstract

Background The concept of home-based palliative care has been recently introduced in Bangladesh, but the patients’ quality of life remains unexplored. This study aimed to assess the quality of life and its determinants of the cancer patients receiving home-based palliative care in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among 51 surviving cancer patients above 18 years registered under the home-based care service of the Department of Palliative Medicine, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Data was collected by face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire based on the “Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Palliative (FACIT-Pal)” questionnaire from February to March 2019. Descriptive analysis was done for the socio-demographic, disease and treatment related factors. Mann-Whiteney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and logistic regression were done to determine the relationships between independent variables and QoL. Result The majority of the patients (76.5%) were women. The mean age of the respondents was 56.2±4.8 years. Common primary sites of cancer were breast (39.2%), gastrointestinal (17.6%), and genitourinary system (23.5%). The median duration of getting home-based care was four months. The most prevalent problems were pain, sadness, feeling ill, and lack of satisfaction regarding sexual life. The majority (88.2%) of the patients had an average and above-average quality of life. Although, 92.1%patients had average or above-average social and emotional wellbeing, 60.8% had below-average physical wellbeing. Patients’ marital status, belief about disease prognosis, and duration of getting home-based care had a positive influence, and age negatively influenced the quality of life. Conclusion The majority of the patients receiving home-based palliative care in Dhaka city had average or above-average quality of life. However, these patients had better social and emotional wellbeing, but the physical wellbeing and symptom control were below-average according to the individual domain.

Veiksniai, Turintieji Įtakos Namuose Slaugomų Paliatyviųjų Pacientų Gyvenimo Kokybei

“…Vertinant gyvenimo kokybę, itin svarbu objektyvią sveikatos būklę atskirti nuo subjektyvios paciento savijautos [11]. Holistinis paliatyviosios pagalbos požiūris gali pagerinti šių pacientų ir jų šeimų gyvenimo kokybę, užtikrindamas ligos eigą, galutinį gyvenimo etapą ir orią mirtį [2].…”

Improving palliative care outcomes in remote and rural areas of LMICs through family caregivers: lessons from Kazakhstan

“…Home-based care not only reduces costs compared to inpatient care but also enhances patient outcomes by increasing access to essential care and reducing hospitalizations ( 52 ). Increasing the number of mobile teams would also help address disparities in accessing these services in remote and rural areas, where traditional healthcare facilities may be limited or non-existent ( 9 , 40 , 52 ). Given that the majority of palliative patients in Kazakhstan are cared for by their families, equipping family caregivers with proper training can support them in delivering high-quality home-based care.…”

“…This leads to an unequal distribution of suffering among patients and their families, especially among those who are economically disadvantaged, socially excluded, or reside in remote and rural regions. Palliative care in LMICs can improve the quality of life of patients and their family caregivers by increasing access to medications essential for pain and symptom management ( 8 , 9 ). Studies in Kenya, India, and Bangladesh found that introducing palliative care services in rural districts led to long-term cost-savings, as patients received home- and community-based care, reducing the need for costly hospitalizations and other healthcare services ( 4 , 10 ).…”

Does the Implementation of Home-based Care Service Policy Improve the Quality of Life for the Elderly? Evidence from 28 Provinces in China

“…The study of the elderly with an average age of 79 years infers that the QoL of the elderly is positively correlated with receiving home-based primary care [21,22]. And studies take cancer elderly as the research object, assert that the use of home care service of the physical health of old cancer people is better than do not use the home care service of cancer elderly, but below the average [23]. The reasons for the research diversity are as follows:…”