Difference in quality of life of referred hospital patients after hospital palliative care team intervention

Since 1948, when the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as being not only the absence of disease and infinity but also the presence of physical, mental, and social well-being (Constitution of the World Health Organization, 1952), quality of life issues became more apparent. The aim of the research undertaken was to establish whether the hospital palliative care team (HPCT) at the Johannesburg General Hospital was making a difference to referred hospital patients' quality of life. The HPCT was started at the Johannesburg General Hospital in 2001. The team functions as an advisory body on pain and symptom control. Palliative Care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual. The method used was the FACT G questionnaire, which was completed by the patient group initially, and thereafter HPCT intervention. The questionnaire is used to measure quality of life (QOL). The study is a descriptive cohort design. The first 24 patients completed the informed consent prior to completing the questionnaire. The pre QOL questionnaire served as the baseline QOL scores prior to HPCT intervention. The initial QOL scores were then compared to the post QOL scores after HPCT intervention. Seven subjects were excluded from the research as six patients were discharged from hospital early due to a bed shortage and one patient died. The seven patients' results from the pre FACT G questionnaire were discarded and all subsequent calculations did not include their results. The increase in the total percentage scores (45.53 to 63.35) was statistically significant (p< 0.001) using the paired t-test. Thus the results show a significant difference between pre and post assessment QOL scores. The research demonstrates significant improvements in patients' quality of life (p<0.001) after HPCT intervention. It is hoped that future research would continue to show the value of HPCT and their effect of benefiting patients' quality of life.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Public Health and Family Medicine

Year dc:date.issued

2004

Author dc:creator

• Kirk, Judy Gail

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Collins, Kathleen

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/10751

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/10751