Conference 2021 Poster Presentation

 

Project title

Extent of Palliative Care need among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: A cross sectional study

 

Authors and Affiliations

Sai Prasad1, Snehal Bathe1, Jangala Sai Vihar1, Adithya Mohan1, Amlina Priyadarshini1, Tilak Tvsvgk2

1. Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, India
2. Dept of Internal Medicine, Armed Forces Medical College, India

 

Abstract

Background

Palliative Care is an interdisciplinary approach aimed at optimising quality of life and mitigating suffering. Identifying patients who may benefit from a palliative approach is a recognised challenge, especially in India, as it is associated mainly with end of life care. An assessment of the extent of palliative care need in the hospital setting is crucial to appropriately match services and define priorities for care.

Methods

A comprehensive survey was undertaken among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in a tertiary care centre in Western Maharashtra in February, 2020. After due consent, participants were screened for palliative care need according to the Gold Standards Framework (GSF) Prognostic Indicator criteria. Participants completed the Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral to Care (SPARC), a needs assessment tool that measures unmet needs across 7 domains from 0-3.

Results

127 consecutive cancer patients were included, with a mean age of 55.39 + 12.68. 38% of participants met the GSF criteria for palliative care need. Patient self reported data indicated that participants who rated a score of 3 for one or more domains in the SPARC questionnaire were 4.7 times more likely to meet the GSF criteria. The most frequently reported unmet needs among these patients were fatigue (76%), pain (71%), anxiety (49%), dependence (49%) and bowel and bladder issues (38%). Participants aged 60 and above scored higher on domains like loneliness and fatigue, compared to younger age groups who reported more concerns about issues like loss of independence, anxiety, etc.

Conclusions

Our results reveal that over a third of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy met the GSF criteria for palliative care need. It provides evidence of a large unmet need across various domains among patients, who may benefit from introduction of adjunctive palliative care, and lends support for the use of similar tools in the hospital setting.

 


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