Pain Management in Palliative Care - Essay Example

Pain Management in Palliative Care 0 Background to the Study There have been researches done before on the quality of healthcare especially on the pain management among people suffering from end-life illnesses. These studies have attempted to improve the healthcare for patients of this nature, but the results from the studies have in most cases been devastating. Improvement can be reached upon by the identification of specific needs unique to particular patients. Sometimes an approach that works for one patient may not work in another. A method identified to be working on an individual patient should be communicated to the rest of the medical team so that it is repeated until the desired outcome is realized. 1.1 Problem Statement of the Study Many people together with their families across the world experience the burden of diseases that range from flu to chronic one in their late lives. It is and will always be the pleasure of health workers and other stakeholders to come up with ways to improve the care for people suffering from chronic illnesses in late life. It is the best support for care to consider how best these patients can improve. 1.2 significance of the study The study results will be a boost to the healthcare community especially in pain management in palliative care. The study will also add to the existing knowledge about pain care in people with chronic illnesses undergoing palliative care. It will generate new data that will assist in the development of evidence-based practices for policy and program implementation to strengthen the palliative care practices. 1.3 Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study was to assess evidence about interventions to improve palliative and end-of-life care among patients. 1.4 Objective The research addressed its goals by focusing literature and problems related to pain at the end of life ailments and their advanced care. It also focuses on the continuity of care, issues that concern caregivers in the palliative care of cancer, dementia, and chronic heart failure. 1.5 Concepts Palliative care is becoming increasingly popular throughout the world due to the increasing number of chronic diseases that there is today. The care is common among the elderly patients whose immunity is compromised hence prone too many illnesses that leave them with no energy to care for themselves. Hospitals and clinics that are both run by the government, private sectors, and the non-governmental organizations have opened up programs for palliative care. Today there are trained professionals trained to take care of these groups of patients. Pain management is a common problem especially in the chronic and some acute illnesses and is especially an important factor during palliative care of patients. 2.0 Methods of the Study The study majorly utilized the quantitative approach where questionnaires were the main tool for data collection from both health workers and the patients. A qualitative approach was also used during the interviewing of the same parties. The interviews and data that were collected from the questionnaires elicited the participants’ desire for change for the better in the approach used to care for the patients. 2.1 Research Design The cluster sampling design was used for the study, as it was the best for the type of research. The study involved interviewing different people from various hospitals and palliative homes. Participants from the different centers that were selected were identified through the clustering method and appropriately approved if they met the study criteria. 2.2 Sample According to the study, participants needed to have the following characteristics for eligibility for the study: the prognosis was to be approximately a year or less, they had to know what their diagnosis was and its prognosis and they were supposed to be able to talk on their own or have a relative who could speak on their behalf. Sixty-six potential participants were approached for the study during the entire study period. Among these, nine of them did not meet the criteria, twenty others refused to be part of the study sample due to various reasons. The study does not show how why these patients refused to consent to the study. The reasons that led them to refuse to consent should have been indicated, as they are part of the analysis. Therefore, in the end the study ended up with thirty-seven participants. 2.3 Procedure The process of data collection commenced immediately after the participants consented to participate. From the article, it is clear that only one person interviewed the participants. This should not be the case usually as one can be subject to personal bias. The guide to the interview had in it questions that touched on the level of satisfaction among the patients. Another factor was the kind of support the caregivers provided, pain relief methods used and life-support treatments they received. The participants were required to rate their satisfaction on a scale together with answering open-ended questions. After three days, follow-up interviews were conducted until the time the patient got a discharge from the facility, died or refused any further interviews. The help of interpreters was used interviewed patients who were not of English origin. The first interviews took about forty minutes while those that followed took about twenty minutes and the feedback to the healthcare providers took about thirty minutes. This part was well organized, and information collected showed almost the exact picture on the ground. 3.0 Ethical Considerations Before the conduction of the study, the institution’s ethics board approved the study. The researchers further sought the permission from the various facilities and homes from where they would collect their data. They also prepared a consent form that would seek the authorization of the participants before they could engage them in the study. The consent involved the assurance that their identity would be confidential and that their names would not appear anywhere. In fact, the researchers did not know the participants’ names as per the article. All the guidelines concerning ethical issues in the study are supposed to be known to the researchers before they decide to collect data. All patients are expected to be aware of the objectives of the study, and the results will be of benefit. 4.0 Conclusion Palliative care issues are in plenty, but with proper research and commitment towards it, we can solve the issues. This article covers appropriately the issues affecting the palliative care sector and tries to give various ways in which we can make right the situation. It is upon us to continue doing research on the same to improve the current state. References Docherty A et al.; Knowledge and information needs of informal caregivers in palliative care: a systematic qualitative review; a journal of hospital palliative care. July 1, 2013, 27: 657-664 Singer P. Martin D & Kelner; Quality End-of-Life Care: Patients Perspectives; JAMA. 2011; 281(2):163-168. Read More