Aspects of Care and Utilization of End of Life Services among Terminal Patients
Limitations Facing the Health Care
Many challenges limit the level of care given to terminally ill patients during their end of lifetimes. Some of these challenges include the limitation of physicians, financial constraints, locality, family neglect and lack of sufficient on the appropriate care.
A limit
ed number of physicians
There are not as many doctors and nurses to provide personalized care for all the terminally ill patients, which is challenging since many of the patients opt to spend their final moments at their respective homes. The health practitioners may find it difficult, expensive and time-consuming to visit all the patients with advanced diseases. (Wang, & Hu, 2017). This challenge can be solved if the terminal patients could opt to receive care and service in health care facilities.
Financial constraints
Medical care to terminally ill patients may not be given to all patients due to financial constraints. Some patients end up receiving little care if any, according to what the families can afford. In low-income families where the patient is the breadwinner, the families may not be able to provide medical care and can only give the support care they can.
A lot of money is used when trying to prevent the disease from progressing. For instance, once the cancer is diagnosed, a lot of money is spent on medications like chemotherapy. If cancer recurs and reaches its advanced stages, the families are drained of funds as they spent most of it during the initial stages of the ailment. When this happens, the patients are not in a position to receive the best medical care. (Pino, et al 2016).
Neglect from Family and friends
There is emotional drainage in the families whose loved one is suffering from a terminal illness, especially if the patient has been ill for several years. As a result of these, the families start to distance themselves gradually from the patient. (Fitzmaurice, et al 2017) This distance creates emotional distress to the patient, and his or her comfort becomes compromised. When the families and friends neglect the patients, the psychological care of the invalid will too be neglected.
Patients’ locality
Patients who wish to receive care and treatment from home should be based in a place where there are easily accessible. Proper and fast medical care is provided to patients whose locality is easily accessible. If the patient lives in a neighbourhood that is not safe or friendly, medical practitioners will be afraid to visit the patients for assessment.
Lack of information on proper care
lack of information on the appropriate care that should be given to patients with terminal illness lowers the quality of care that is given to the patients. Health care providers should have the proper knowledge and information on the care of patients at home. The assistants and the nurses hired to take care of the patients who are terminally ill, should be equipped with the necessary skills to provide care to the patients.
References
Fitzmaurice, C., Allen, C., Barber, R. M., Barregard, L., Bhutta, Z. A., Brenner, H., … & Fleming, T. (2017). Global, regional, and national cancer incidence, mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life-years for 32 cancer groups, 1990 to 2015: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study. JAMA oncology, 3(4), 524-548.
Pino, M., Parry, R., Land, V., Faull, C., Feathers, L., & Seymour, J. (2016). Engaging terminally ill patients at the end of life talk: how experienced palliative medicine doctors navigate the dilemma of promoting discussions about dying: PLoS one, 11(5).
Wang, D. D., & Hu, F. B. (2017). Dietary fat and risk of cardiovascular disease: recent controversies and advances. Annual review of nutrition, 37, 423