End of life care: Evaluation of palliative and hospice care

Life expectancy has increased due to technological developments in industrial societies. However, it is a mystery whether this extended period was spent in a manner worthy of human dignity. At this point, the concept of end-of-life care emerged and an attempt was made to find answers to the questions of where, how and by whom patients in the terminal period will be cared for. Palliative care and hospices; It is an end-of-life care philosophy that enables patients who are diagnosed with terminal illnesses and who have nothing medically to do, to spend this last period of their lives in peace and dignity. In our country, palliative care services are mainly hospital-based, and there are no hospice institutions yet. At this point, it is important to identify this need of the society and shed light on how effective palliative care services should be shaped in order to guide health policies. The main purpose of this study is; The aim is to determine the current palliative care services and to reveal the need for hospice. In this context, interviews were conducted with 20 healthcare professionals working in palliative care services and 21 relatives of patients receiving palliative care services using a semi-structured interview form. The obtained data were analyzed with the MAXQDA analysis program. As a result of the interviews; The majority of the participants preferred to die at home, palliative care services were preferred due to the patient's pain control and the care burden of the patient's relative, but in palliative care services; It has been found that there are problems such as inadequacy of physical conditions, removing patients and their relatives from social life and losing their private space, psychological wear and tear, risk of infection, and that a remarkable majority of the participants are of the opinion that hospices should be established. In the light of the data obtained as a result of the study; Hospices need to be established in Turkey and be shaped in accordance with the cultural values of the society, responding to the psycho-social needs of patients and their relatives. At this point, it has been concluded that palliative care services, home care teams and hospices within the hospital should provide services in an integrated and complementary manner. It is anticipated that ensuring service integrity will take end-of-life care to the next level.