Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T16:43:03.244Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Preferences of quality delivery of palliative care among cancer patients in low- and middle-income countries: A review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 May 2021

Vicky Yemoh ,
Lawal Olatunde Olayemi Open the ORCID record for Lawal Olatunde Olayemi [Opens in a new window]  and
Jyothi Alex Abraham
Vicky Yemoh
Affiliation:
School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, National University of Samoa, Toomatagi, Samoa
Lawal Olatunde Olayemi*
Affiliation:
School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, National University of Samoa, Toomatagi, Samoa
Jyothi Alex Abraham
Affiliation:
School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, National University of Samoa, Toomatagi, Samoa
*
Author for correspondence: Lawal Olatunde Olayemi, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, National University of Samoa, P. O. Box, 1622 Apia, Samoa. E-mails [email protected], [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

All forms of cancer pose a tremendous and increasing problem globally. The prevalence of cancer across the globe is anticipated to double over the next two decades. About 50% of most cancer cases are expected to occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where there is a greater disproportionate level in mortality. Access to effective and timely care for cancer patients remains a challenge, especially in LMICs due to late disease diagnosis and detection, coupled with the limited availability of appropriate therapeutic options and delay in proper interventions.

Methodology

This study explored several mixed-method researches and randomized trials that addressed the preferences of quality delivery of palliative care among cancer patients in LMICs. A designated set of keywords such as Palliative Care; Preferences; Cancer patients; Psycho-social Support; End-of-life Care; Low and Middle-Income Countries were inserted on electronic databases to retrieve articles. The databases include PubMed, Scinapse, Medline, The Google Scholar, Academic search premier, SAGE, and EBSCO host.

Results

Findings from this review discussed the socioeconomic and behavioral factors, which address the quality delivery of palliative care among cancer patients. These factors if measured with acceptance level in cancer patients could help to address areas that need improvement from the stage of disease diagnosis to the end-of-life.

Significance of the results

Valuable collaborations among international and local health institutions are needed to build and implement a systematic framework for palliative care in LMICs. Policies and programs that are country and culturally specific, encompassing both theoretical and practical models of care in the milieu of existing quandaries should be developed.

Keywords

Cancer patientsEnd-of-life careLow- and middle-income countriesPalliative carePreferencesPsycho-social support
Type
Review Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 20 , Issue 2 , April 2022 , pp. 275 - 282
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abdel-Malek, R, Farag, DE, Shohdy, KS, et al. (2019) Availability of informal caregivers for palliative care patients with cancer: Is there a difference between higher- and lower-income settings. Indian Journal of Palliative Care 25(3), 379–382.Google Scholar
Aebischer, PS, Nikolic, R, Lazic, R, et al. (2018) Addressing the needs of terminally-ill patients in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Patients’ perceptions and expectations. BMC Palliative Care 17(1), 123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Agodirin, SO, Rahman, GA, Olatoke, SA, et al. (2017) Pattern of breast cancer referral to palliative care and the complimentary role of a palliative care unit in a resource limited country. Postgraduate Medical Journal of Ghana 6(1), 42–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alcorn, SR, Balboni, MJ, Holly, G, et al. (2010) Religious and spiritual themes in patients’ experiences of advanced cancer. Journal of Palliative Medicine 13, 581–588.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Al-Mahrezi, A and Al-Mandhari, Z (2016) Palliative care: Time for action. Oman Medical Journal 31(3), 161–163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, KO, Richman, SP, Hurley, J, et al. (2002) Cancer pain management among underserved minority outpatients: Perceived needs and barriers to optimal control. Cancer 94(8), 2295–2304.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arora, RS, Eden, T and Pizer, B (2007) The problem of treatment abandonment in children from developing countries with cancer. Paediatrics Blood Cancer 49, 941–946.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Balboni, T, Balboni, M, Paulk, ME, et al. (2011) Support of cancer patients’ spiritual needs and associations with medical care costs at the end of life. Cancer 117(23), 5383–5391.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Banegas, MP, Guy, GP Jr, de Moor, JS, et al. (2016) For working-age cancer survivors, medical debt and bankruptcy create financial hardships. Health Affairs 35, 54–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bernard, DS, Farr, SL and Fang, Z (2011) National estimates of out-of-pocket health care expenditure burdens among nonelderly adults with cancer: 2001 to 2008. Journal of Clinical Oncology 29, 2821–2826.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bollars, C, Naseri, T, Thomsen, R, et al. (2018) Adapting the WHO package of essential noncommunicable disease interventions, Samoa. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 96(8), 578–583.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brazil, K, Bedard, M and Willison, K (2002) Factors associated with home death for individuals who receive home support services: A retrospective cohort study. BMC Palliative Care 1, 1–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cantwell, P, Turco, S, Brenneis, C, et al. (2000) Predictors of home death in palliative care cancer patients. Journal of Palliative Care 16, 23–28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Charlton, MJ, Schlichting, C, Chioreso, MW, et al. (2015) Challenges of rural cancer care in the United States. Oncology 29, 633–640.Google ScholarPubMed
Cherny, NI, Cleary, J, Scholten, W, et al. (2013) The Global Opioid Policy Initiative (GOPI) project to evaluate the availability and accessibility of opioids for the management of cancer pain in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East: Introduction and methodology. Annals of Oncology 24(11), 7–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chindaprasirt, J, Limpawattana, P, Pakkaratho, P, et al. (2014) Burdens among caregivers of older adults with advanced cancer and risk factors. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 15(4), 1643–1648.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clark, D, Wright, M, Hunt, J, et al. (2007) Hospice and palliative care development in Africa: A multi-method review of services and experiences. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 33, 698–710.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clark, D, Baur, N, Clelland, D, et al. (2020) Mapping levels of palliative care development in 198 countries: The situation in 2017. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.JPAINSYMMAN.2019.11.009.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cui, J, Song, LJ, Zhou, LJ, et al. (2014) Needs of family caregivers of advanced cancer patients: A survey in Shanghai of China. European Journal of Cancer Care 23(4), 562–569.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davidoff, AJ, Erten, M, Shaffer, T, et al. (2013) Out-of-pocket health care expenditure burden for Medicare beneficiaries with cancer. Cancer 119, 1257–1265.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ddungu, H (2011) Palliative care: What approaches are suitable in developing countries? British Journal of Haematology 154(6), 728–735.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Deandrea, S, Montanari, M, Moja, L, et al. (2008) Prevalence of undertreatment in cancer pain. A review of published literature. Annals of Oncolology 19(12), 1985–1991.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Graaff, FM, Francke, AL, Van Den Muijsenbergh, METC, et al. (2010) “Palliative care”: A contradiction in terms? A qualitative study of cancer patients with a Turkish or Moroccan background, their relatives and care providers. BMC Palliative Care 9(1), 9–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Farmer, P, Frenk, J, Knaul, FM, et al. (2010) Expansion of cancer care and control in countries of low and middle income: A call to action. The Lancet 376(9747), 1186–1193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fenn, KM, Evans, SB, McCorkle, R, et al. (2014) Impact of financial burden of cancer on survivors’ quality of life. Journal of Oncology Practice 10, 332–338.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fukui, S, Kawagoe, H and Masako, S (2003) Determinants of the place of death among terminally ill cancer patients under home hospice care in Japan. Palliative Medicine 17, 445–453.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guy, GP Jr, Ekwueme, DU, Yabroff, KR, et al. (2013) Economic burden of cancer survivorship among adults in the United States. Journal of Clinical Oncology 31, 3749–3757.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guy, GP Jr, Yabroff, KR, Ekwueme, DU, et al. (2015) Healthcare expenditure burden among non-elderly cancer survivors, 2008–2012. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 49, S489–S497.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hannon, B, Zimmermann, C, Knaul, FM, et al. (2016) Provision of palliative care in low- and middle-income countries: Overcoming obstacles for effective treatment delivery. Journal of Clinical Oncology 34(1), 62–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harding, R and Higginson, IJ (2005) Palliative care in sub-Saharan Africa. Lancet 365, 1971–1977.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Higginson, I and Sen-Gupta, (2000) Place of care in advanced cancer: A qualitative systematic literature review of patient preferences. Journal of Palliative Medicine 3, 287–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Higginson, IJ, Finlay, I, Goodwin, DM, et al. (2002) Do hospital-based palliative teams improve care for patients or families at the end of life? Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 23(2), 96–106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hudson, PL, Trauer, T, Graham, S, et al. (2010) A systematic review of instruments related to family caregivers of palliative care patients. Palliative Medicine 24(7), 656–668.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hudson, P, Remedios, C, Zordan, R, et al. (2012) Guidelines for the psychosocial and bereavement support of family caregivers of palliative care patients. Journal of Palliative Medicine 15(6), 696–702.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Isola, A, Backman, K, Voutilainen, P, et al. (2008) Quality of institutional care of older people as evaluated by nursing staff. Journal of Clinical Nursing 17(18), 2480–2489.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jagsi, R, Pottow, JA, Griffith, KA, et al. (2014) Long-term financial burden of breast cancer: Experiences of a diverse cohort of survivors identified through population-based registries. Journal of Clinical Oncology 32, 1269–1276.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kale, HP and Carroll, NV (2016) Self-reported financial burden of cancer care and its effect on physical and mental health-related quality of life among US cancer survivors. Cancer 122, 283–289.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Karlou, C, Papathanassoglou, E and Patiraki, E (2015) Caring behaviours in cancer care in Greece. Comparison of patients’, their caregivers’ and nurses’ perceptions. European Journal of Oncology Nursing 19(3), 244–250.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Karlsen, S and Addington-Hall, J (1998) How do cancer patients who die at home differ from those who die elsewhere? Palliative Medicine 12, 279–286.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kent, EE, Forsythe, LP, Yabroff, KR, et al. (2013) Are survivors who report cancer-related financial problems more likely to forgo or delay medical care? Cancer 119, 3710–3717.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Khadijeh, H, Maryam, R and Hamid, AM (2015) Spiritual needs of cancer patients: A qualitative study. Indian Journal of Palliative Care 21(1), 61–67.Google Scholar
Khan, RI (2017) Palliative care in Pakistan. Indian Journal of Medical Ethics 2(1), 37–42.Google ScholarPubMed
Kikule, E (2003) A good death in Uganda: Survey of needs for palliative care for terminally ill people in urban areas. Biomed Journal 327, 192–194.Google ScholarPubMed
Knaul, FM, Farmer, PE, Krakauer, EL, et al. (2018) Alleviating the access abyss in palliative care and pain relief — An imperative of universal health coverage: The Lancet Commission Report. The Lancet 391(10128), 1391–1454.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lakew, S, Musema, H, Shimeles, T, et al. (2015) Assessment of knowledge, accessibility and utilization of palliative care services among adult cancer patients at Tikur Anbesa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2014: A cross-sectional institution based study. BMC Research Notes 8(1), 1–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCullagh, P and Nelder, J (1999) Generalized Linear Models, 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL: Chapman & Hall/CRC Press.Google Scholar
Meegoda, L, Fernando, S, Sivayogan, S, et al. (2015) Perceived palliative care needs of cancer patients, nurses and domiciliary care providers at a national cancer referral facility, Sri Lanka. Journal Pioneer Medical Science 5(2), 46–50.Google Scholar
Meneses, K, Azuero, A, Hassey, L, et al. (2012) Does economic burden influence quality of life in breast cancer survivors? Gynaecology Oncology 124, 437–443.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morris, K (2003) Cancer? In Africa? Lancet Oncology 4, 5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Munday, D, Dale, J and Murray, S (2007) Choice and place of death: Individual preferences, uncertainty, and the availability of care. Journal of Research in Social Medicine 100, 211–215.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O'Mahony, S, Blank, AE, Zallman, L, et al. (2005) The benefits of a hospital-based inpatient palliative care consultation service: Preliminary outcome data. Journal of Palliative Medicine 8(5), 1033–1039.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Osagiede, O, Colibaseanu, DT, Spaulding, AC, et al. (2018) Palliative care use among patients with solid cancer tumors: A national cancer data base study. Journal of Palliative Care 33, 149–158.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pareek, V, Bhalavat, R and Chandra, M (2019) Spirituality and religious coping for cancer patients and providers: An “Almighty” belief for palliative care. Annals of Oncology 30(664).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearce, MJ, Coan, AD, Herndon, JE, et al. (2012) Unmet spiritual care needs impact emotional and spiritual well-being in advanced cancer patients. Supportive Care in Cancer 20(10), 2269–2276.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Penrod, JD, Deb, P, Luhrs, C, et al. (2006) Cost and utilization outcomes of patients receiving hospital-based palliative care consultation. Journal of Palliative Medicine 9(4), 855–860.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pisu, M, Kenzik, KM, Oster, RA, et al. (2015) Economic hardship of minority and non-minority cancer survivors 1 year after diagnosis: Another long-term effect of cancer? Cancer 121, 1257–1264.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pisu, M, Azuero, A, Benz, R, et al. (2017) Out-of-pocket costs and burden among rural breast cancer survivors. Cancer Medicine 6(3), 572–581.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Powell, RA, Namisango, E, Gikaara, N, et al. (2014) Public priorities and preferences for end-of-life care in Namibia. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 47(3), 620–630.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Probst, JC, Laditka, SB, Wang, JY, et al. (2007) Effects of residence and race on burden of travel for care: Cross sectional analysis of the 2001 US national household travel survey. BMC Health Service Research 7, 40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ragesh, G, Zacharias, L and Thomas, PT (2017) Palliative care social work in India: Current status and future directions. Indian Journal of Palliative Care 23(1), 93.Google ScholarPubMed
Saber, AA, Morteza, G, Mir, HA, et al. (2015) Perspective of patients, patients’ families, and healthcare providers towards designing and delivering hospice care services in a middle income country. Indian Journal of Palliative Care 21(3), 341–348.Google Scholar
Shankaran, V, Jolly, S, Blough, D, et al. (2012) Risk factors for financial hardship in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for colon cancer: A population-based exploratory analysis. Journal of Clinical Oncology 30, 1608–1614.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sharkey, L, Loring, B, Cowan, M, et al. (2017) National palliative care capacities around the world: Results from the World Health Organization noncommunicable disease country capacity survey. Palliative Medicine 32(1), 106–113.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shugarman, LR, Sorbero, ME, Tian, H, et al. (2008) An exploration of urban and rural differences in lung cancer survival among medicare beneficiaries. American Journal of Public Health 98, 1280–1287.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spence, D, Crath, R, Hibbert, A, et al. (2010) Supporting cancer patients in Jamaica — A needs assessment survey. The West Indian Medical Journal 59(1), 59–66.Google Scholar
Stajduhar, KI, Martin, WL, Barwich, D, et al. (2008) Factors influencing family caregivers’ ability to cope with providing end-of-life cancer care at home. Cancer Nursing 31(1), 77–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sudarisan, SSP, Abraham, B and George, C (2019) Prevalence, correlates of depression, and its impact on quality of life of cancer patients attending a palliative care setting in South India. Psychooncology 28(6), 1308–1313.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tarakeshwar, N, Vanderwerker, LC, Paulk, E, et al. (2006) Religious coping is associated with the quality of life of patients with advanced cancer. Journal of Palliative Medicine 9(3), 646–657.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomas, C, Morris, S and Clark, D (2004) Place of death: Preferences among cancer patients and their carers. Social Science Medicine 58, 2431–2444.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Villagomeza, LR (2005) Spiritual distress in adult cancer patients: Toward conceptual clarity. Holistic Nursing Practice 19, 285–294.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whitney, RL, Bell, JF, Reed, SC, et al. (2016) Predictors of financial difficulties and work modifications among cancer survivors in the United States. Journal of Cancer Survivorship 10, 241–250.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, A and McCorkle, R (2011) Cancer family caregivers during the palliative, hospice, and bereavement phases: A review of the descriptive psychosocial literature. Palliative and Supportive Care 9(3), 315–325.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization (2014) Global Atlas of Palliative Care at the End of Life. Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: http://www.who.int/nmh/Global_Atlas_of_Palliative_Care.pdf.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (2018a) Assessing National Capacity for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases: Report of the 2017 Global Survey. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. Available at: https://www.who.int/ncds/surveillance/ncd-capacity/en/.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (2018b) Planning and Implementing Palliative Care Services: A Guide for Programme Managers. Available at: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/250584/1/9789241565417-eng.pdf.Google Scholar
Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance (2014) Global Atlas of Palliative Care at the End of Life. Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: http://www.who.int/nmh/Global_Atlas_of_Palliative_Care.pdf.Google Scholar
Yabroff, KR, Dowling, EC, Guy, GP Jr, et al. (2016) Financial hardship associated with cancer in the United States: Findings from a population-based sample of adult cancer survivors. Journal of Clinical Oncology 34, 259–267.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yennurajalingam, S, Amos, CE, Weru, J, et al. (2019) Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes-Palliative Care in Africa program: Improving access to quality palliative care. Journal of Global Oncology 5, 1–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zafar, W, Hafeez, H, Jamshed, A, et al. (2016) Preferences regarding disclosure of prognosis and end-of-life care: A survey of cancer patients with advanced disease in a lower-middle-income country. Palliative Medicine 30(7), 661–673.CrossRefGoogle Scholar