• News Archive
  • Simaster
  • Webmail
  • Directory
  • Crisis Center
  •  English
    • Indonesia
Universitas Gadjah Mada Universitas Gadjah Mada Universitas Gadjah Mada Universitas Gadjah Mada
  • Education
    • Doctoral dissertation
    • Inauguration of Professor
    • Graduation
  • Achievement
  • Research and Innovation
    • Research
    • Innovation
  • Campus Info
    • Cooperation
    • Seminar and Workshop
    • Student Community Service Program
    • Other
  • News Report
  • Home
  • Doctoral dissertation
  • Palliative Care for Cancer Patients Facing Dilemma

Palliative Care for Cancer Patients Facing Dilemma

  • 15 February 2021, 13:07 WIB
  • By: Salma
  • 1238
Perawatan Paliatif Penderita Kanker Hadapi Dilema

Doctors providing oncology services have a significant role in referring patients to palliative care. One of the causes of low referral is the unavailability of palliative care needs criteria.

In Indonesia, the referral of cancer patients to palliative care is still low. In 2015, WHO designated palliative care as one of the six priority programs for the management of NCDs (WHO, 2015), but palliative care has yet to develop well up until now.

In 2014, more than 29 million patients who died required palliative care. As many as 94 percent were adult patients, and 34 percent of them died of cancer.

Twenty million people worldwide of palliative care needs don’t even get the treatment. The need for palliative care for cancer patients in the future will certainly increase as the incidence and mortality rate of disease rise.

“80 percent of palliative care needs are in developing countries, but palliative care is available mostly in developed countries,” said Dr. Maria Astheria Witjaksono, MPALLC(FU), PC physician, Head of Palliative Care Unit at “Dharmais” National Cancer Center, Thursday (11/2).

According to Maria Astheria, integrated palliative care in oncology provides many benefits for patients, families, and health services, including financing-wise. Unfortunately, it has not been optimal, as seen from the low number of referrals.

In oncology, the absence of referral criteria for standardized palliative care has led to the confusion of who needs palliative care and uncertainty over the right time. It results in the difficulty of diagnosing the terminal or end-of-life stage, leading to low referral to palliative care.

“Therefore, this dissertation aims to explore doctor significance when referring patients to palliative care, find out its implications in the palliative care-related decision makings, compile criteria for palliative care, and measure the application effect of these criteria on the quality of adult patients with cancer who require palliative care,” she said while defending her dissertation entitled Criteria for Palliative Care Needs in the Management of Cancer Patients in Indonesia: A Multidisciplinary Study.

Her research results show that there are two meanings for doctors in oncology when giving palliative care referrals, namely professional and personal. Both can be motivational or inhibitory for palliative care referrals.

The conflict between these two creates a dilemma in the referrals. The criteria for palliative care in adult cancer patients are arranged in an instrument of palliative care needs identification, which has two indicators, namely 15 medical indicators and five non-medical indicators. The application of palliative care needs identification instrument can improve services for adult cancer patients of palliative care needs, namely improving quality of life (mean 0.17, SD+ 1.57 vs 1.53 SD+ 1.88, p-value < 0.001), increasing patients with DNR status (28% vs 92,5%, p-value < 0.001), and reduced terminal visits to the ER (24% vs 20%, p-value < 0.001).

“The validity of the instrument has been tested, and its application has been shown to improve the quality of life, the number of DNR status, and decrease the emergency room visits of terminal cancer patients. Hopefully, the application of these criteria can solve the dilemma of doctors regarding palliative care referrals and improve palliative care for cancer patients,” she said.

She hoped these results could be of use for various parties to improve the quality of management of adult cancer patients requiring palliative care. Besides, it is necessary to socialize this instrument to health workers in hospitals.

Author: Agung Nugroho
Photo: cantik.tempo.co

Related News

  • Developing Palliative Care in Indonesia

    Tuesday,09 August 2011 - 13:23
  • Home Care, Decease Time of Most Patients Can Be Estimated

    Tuesday,10 August 2010 - 15:46
  • The Importance of Volunteer Assistance for Cancer Patients

    Thursday,17 May 2018 - 13:53
  • Faculty of Medicine UGM Charity Concert for Cancer Patient

    Friday,20 April 2018 - 9:31
  • Fight Cancer through Healthy Life Style

    Tuesday,09 February 2016 - 15:15

News Releases

  • 18,964 UGM Students Receive Scholarships, Director of Student Affairs Says 20 January 2023
    Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) annually allocates hundreds
    Salma
  • Prof. Budi Setiadi Daryono Recounts Origin of His Apple Melon Cultivar 'Hikapel' 16 January 2023
    In 2012, a team of researchers from the UGM Facult
    Salma
  • UGM Graduate Fajar Kelana Named Top 20 International James Dyson Award Winner 13 January 2023
    Fajar Sidik Abdullah Kelana, an alumnus of UGM and
    Salma
  • Chemical Eng. Students Win International Youth Ideas Competition 05 January 2023
    UGM Chemical Engineering students Andhirta Rukmarata Chani
    Salma
  • UGM Secures IDR 67 Billion From 2022 Kedaireka Matching Fund, Most Among Other Universities 30 December 2022
    Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has topped the list of unive
    Salma

Event

No latest event at this time

Universitas Gadjah Mada
UNIVERSITAS GADJAH MADA
Bulaksumur Yogyakarta 55281
   info@ugm.ac.id
   +62 (274) 588688
   +62 (274) 565223
   +62 811 2869 988

PARTNERSHIP

  • Alumni
  • International Affairs

ABOUT UGM

  • Rector's Welcome
  • History
  • Vission and Mission
  • The Board of Executive
  • Management

VISIT UGM

  • Campus Map
  • Event

REGISTRATION

  • Undergraduate
  • Graduate
  • Vocational School
  • Professional Program
  • International Program

© 2023 Universitas Gadjah Mada

PRIVACY POLICYCONTACT