Satisfaction in caregivers of pediatric cancer patients in the palliative care program at the Hospital Escuela

Abstract

Background: Palliative care (PC) aims to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. The degree of satisfaction of the parents or caregivers of the patients is an important source to assess strengths and weaknesses, in order to implement new approaches to care and improve the program. Objective: To evaluate the satisfaction of parents or caregivers regarding the care provided by the PC program of pediatric oncology patients of the Hospital Escuela, period July – August 2023. Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study. Non-probability sampling was estimated at 124 parents/caregivers, who were invited to participate through informed consent. The degree of satisfaction was recorded through a survey to know the perception of care. Mann's U Whitney, Chi-square and Spearman were used for statistical analysis. The protocol was approved by the Biomedical Research and Ethics Committee (CEIB) of the Facultad de Ciencias Médicas from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras. Results: Out of a total of 124 participants. 83.9% of caregivers described the quality of care received as "excellent". 92.7% considered that health personnel knew how to communicate in clear terms. 100% felt supported and heard. In addition, 100% said they felt that their decisions were respected. The area of residence (rural vs. urban) was observed to be related to less ease of access to palliative care (p<0.001; OR 10.7; 95% CI 3.8-30.2) Conclusions: As strengths of the palliative care program, it is worth highlighting that all caregivers felt supported and heard. Additionally, collectively they all stated that they felt their decisions were respected. It is recommended to implement new approaches to care, request for supplies and medical personnel, nurses, psychologists and social workers trained in PC.