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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLES |
Qualitative Research Elucidates Needs For Palliative Care
Cheryl COX MACPHERSON, MDa
aDepartment of Bioethics St George’s University School of Medicine, GRENADA
Palliative care is a growing discipline within medicine and nursing that is beginning to be integrated into healthcare in Eastern Europe and less developed nations. Even in wealthy nations where palliative care is relatively progressive, many dying patients continue to have unmanaged pain. In the Caribbean, pain is particularly poorly managed for people dying at home. The qualitative methods used in Caribbean study are tools with which to inform public health-related policy and programs, especially those pertaining to end of life issues. When conducted with sensitivity to participant’s privacy and possible distress, qualitative methods reveal unique healthcare needs, and realistic means of meeting those needs through national or community health policy and programs. Public health programs and attempts to improve health systems sometimes fail for not having recognized or responded to local conditions that bear on their sustainable success. Qualitative research is a valuable approach to consulting healthcare users and providers about their concerns and priorities regarding access to, and provision of, services. This paper argues that health policy for pain management and end of life care should be based on realistic and sensitive consultation with stakeholders, and that data derived through such consultation should guide policy and programs. The qualitative research approach used in the Caribbean is presented here as a model that may easily be used in other nations and cultures. Qualitative approaches to stakeholder consultation regarding healthcare contribute to the integration of ethical principles like respect for persons, beneficence, and justice into sustainable health programs that benefit all.Keywords: Palliative care, health policy, qualitative methodsTurkiye Klinikleri J Med Ethics 2006, 14:16-22
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