ISSN: 2165-7386

Journal of Palliative Care & Medicine
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  • Research Article   
  • J Palliat Care Med 2018, Vol 8(1): 328
  • DOI: 10.4172/2165-7386.1000328

Access to Palliative Care Services: A Qualitative Study of Experiences of Children and Families Attending University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka

Wilbroad Mutale1*, Fastone Goma2 and Liz Gwyther3
1Department of Public Health, University of Zambia School of Medicine, , Zambia
2Department of Physiology, University of Zambia School of Medicine, , Zambia
3University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health sciences, South Africa
*Corresponding Author : Wilbroad Mutale, Department of Public Health, University of Zambia School of Medicine, Zambia, Tel: +2609680284, Email: wmutale@yahoo.com

Received Date: Dec 03, 2017 / Accepted Date: Jan 22, 2018 / Published Date: Jan 27, 2018

Abstract

Introduction: WHO recommends provision of palliative care for all who need it according to needs and context. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa coverage of palliative care services remain low especially children. This study reports experiences of palliative care services for children and their families attending the University Teaching hospital in Lusaka, Zambia.
Methodology: The was a cross-sectional qualitative study conducted at University teaching hospital in Lusaka, Zambia.
Results: The major challenges faced by families included lack of economic/financial and bereavement support. Most families were referred to the UTH from very far places without any form of support. One major barrier identified to provision of palliative care was poor coordination of services with most patients missing out on services which were already available. While social workers were available, poor funding negatively affected this service. There were very few trained health workers in palliative care. Pain management remained poor with many clinicians still not comfortable to prescribe stronger analgesia such as morphine for severe pain.
Conclusion: The study revealed significant gaps for children’s palliative care services in at the University teaching hospital in Zambia. One major barrier identified to provision of palliative care was poor coordination of services. Families reported lack of economic and bereavement support in addition to lack of information.

Keywords: Palliative care; Children; Illness

Citation: Mutale W, Goma F, Gwyther L (2018) Access to Palliative Care Services: A Qualitative Study of Experiences of Children and Families Attending University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka. J Palliat Care Med 8: 328. Doi: 10.4172/2165-7386.1000328

Copyright: © 2018 Mutale W, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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