1. Contributing and Relieving Factors of Suffering in Palliative Care Cancer Patients: A Descriptive Study
- Author
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Kim Kee Loo, Chong Guan Ng, Ee Chin Loh, Seng Beng Tan, Chee Loong Lam, Maw Pin Tan, Poh Khuen Lim, and Ting Ting Tan
- Subjects
Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Health (social science) ,business.industry ,Palliative Care ,Cancer ,Anxiety ,Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine ,medicine.disease ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Quality of life (healthcare) ,Neoplasms ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,medicine ,Humans ,Palliative care cancer ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Spiritual care ,Descriptive research ,Life-span and Life-course Studies ,Intensive care medicine ,business ,Stress, Psychological - Abstract
To palliate suffering, understanding the circumstances leading to suffering and its amelioration could be helpful. Our study aimed to explore contributing and relieving factors of suffering in palliative care. Adult palliative care stage III or IV cancer in-patients were recruited from University of Malaya Medical Centre. Participants recorded their overall suffering score from 0 to 10 three times daily, followed by descriptions of their contributing and relieving factors. Factors of suffering were thematically analysed with NVIVO. Descriptive data were analysed with SPSS. 108 patients participated. The most common contributing factor of suffering was health factor (96.3%), followed by healthcare factor (78.7%), psychological factor (63.0%) and community factor (20.4%). The most common relieving factor was health factor (88.9%), followed by psychological factor (78.7%), community factor (75.9%) and healthcare factor (70.4%). Self-reported assessment of suffering offers a rapid approach to detect bothering issues that require immediate attention and further in-depth exploration.
- Published
- 2020
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