Addressing obstacles to the inclusion of palliative care in humanitarian health projects: a qualitative study of humanitarian health professionals’ and policy makers’ perceptions

Autor: Sonya de Laat, Gautham Krishnaraj, Lisa Schwartz, Carrie Bernard, Elysée Nouvet, Matthew Hunt, Ani Chénier, Kevin Bezanson
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
end of life
medicine.medical_specialty
Health (social science)
Palliative care
Armed conflict
media_common.quotation_subject
lcsh:Special situations and conditions
humanitarian action
0211 other engineering and technologies
Ebola virus disease
02 engineering and technology
non-governmental organizations
Disasters
03 medical and health sciences
Dignity
0302 clinical medicine
Nursing
Political science
Health care
Medicine and Health Sciences
medicine
Public health emergencies
030212 general & internal medicine
Curative care
health care economics and organizations
media_common
Ethics
021110 strategic
defence & security studies
palliative care
Equity (economics)
business.industry
Research
Public health
lcsh:RC952-1245
Public Health
Environmental and Occupational Health
Health services research
lcsh:Medical emergencies. Critical care. Intensive care. First aid
lcsh:RC86-88.9
Ebola virus disease
end of life
business
Ethics
humanitarian action
non-governmental organizations
palliative care
Qualitative research
Zdroj: Conflict and Health, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2020)
Conflict and Health
Health Studies Publications
ISSN: 1752-1505
DOI: 10.1186/s13031-020-00314-9
Popis: BackgroundHumanitarian non-governmental organizations provide assistance to communities affected by war, disaster and epidemic. A primary focus of healthcare provision by these organizations is saving lives; however, curative care will not be sufficient, appropriate, or available for some patients. In these instances, palliative care approaches to ease suffering and promote dignity are needed. Though several recent initiatives have increased the probability of palliative care being included in humanitarian healthcare response, palliative care remains minimally integrated in humanitarian health projects.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study using interpretive description methodology to investigate humanitarian policy-makers’ and health care professionals’ experiences and perceptions of palliative care during humanitarian crises. In this article, we report on the analysis of in-depth interviews with 24 participants related to their perceptions of obstacles to providing palliative care in humanitarian crises, and opportunities for overcoming these obstacles. Among the participants, 23 had experience as humanitarian health professionals, and 12 had experience with policy development and organizational decision-making.ResultsParticipants discussed various obstacles to the provision of palliative care in humanitarian crises. More prominent obstacles were linked to the life-saving ethos of humanitarian organizations, priority setting of scarce resources, institutional and donor funding, availability of guidance and expertise in palliative care, access to medication, and cultural specificity around death and dying. Less prominent obstacles related to continuity of care after project closure, equity, security concerns, and terminology.ConclusionOpportunities exist for overcoming the obstacles to providing palliative care in humanitarian crises. Doing so is necessary to ensure that humanitarian healthcare can fulfill its objectives not only of saving lives, but also of alleviating suffering and promoting dignity of individuals who are ill or injured during a humanitarian crises, including persons who are dying or likely to die.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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