Palliative Care Practice And Associated Factors Among Health Care Providers At Emergency Department of Two Tertiary Teaching Hospitals In A.A, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Background: Palliative care improves the quality of life of patients facing a life-threatening illness. Emergency residents and nurses should improve their caregiving capacity. In Ethiopia, palliative care is underestimated. The availability of data regarding the palliative care practice among emergency residents and nurses towards palliative care is critically important. Thus, this study aimed to assess the level of palliative care practice of emergency and critical care residents ‘and nurses. Objectives: This study aimed to assess palliative care practice and associated factors among nurses and emergency and critical care residents working in the emergency department of Tikur Ambessa Specialized Hospital and St. Paul Hospital. Methods: Hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 233 health professionals. All participants were included in the study and data was collected using structured self-administrated questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, bivariable, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Statistical level of significance was taken at P<0.25 for the bivariable and a significance level of 0.05 was taken for the multivariable logistic regression. Result: A total of 204 health professionals (82 nurses and 122 residents) responded correctly yielding a response rate of 87.6%. More than half (53.4%) of the study participants had poor palliative care practices. Occupation (AOR=2.094, 95% CI: 1.069-4.101, p=0.031), clinical experience after graduation (AOR=1.496, 95% CI: 1.035-3.045, p=0.002), level of knowledge about palliative care services (AOR=2.452, 95% CI: 1.207-4.982, p=0.013) and attitude towards palliative care (AOR=2.065, 95% CI: 1.231-4.260, p=0.042) were found to be significantly associated with overall palliative care practices. Conclusion: More than half of the study participants had poor palliative care practices. Occupation, clinical experience after graduation, level of knowledge about palliative care services and attitude towards palliative care were found to be significantly associated with overall palliative care practices. Thus, efforts should be made in designing and providing short- and long-term training for nurses on palliative care practices.

............. Thesis available at ACIPH Library