Irene Panagiotou

Marjana Bernot

 

Health Care Primary Care Center, Athens

 

Greece

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attitudes of patients and informal carers on early palliative care in community settings, in Attica, Greece: a qualitative analysis

 

Background

Palliative care in primary care is essential to relief the global burden of suffering for every patient and family with a life-limiting, life-threatening disease. Early or integrated palliative care emphasizes that it can begin from the disease diagnosis.
In Greece, a National Primary Care Reformation has been initiated and new Local, Public Health Units have been gradually implemented throughout the country since December 2017. General practitioners/family physicians have been- for the first time- working with an interdisciplinary team, in an effort to provide health care for all, irrespective of patient income status or disease trajectory. Furthermore, a recent study (05/2019) launched the feasibility of further evolving palliative care in Greece. One of the major recommendations is to include primary care providers in early palliative care delivery. Furthermore, evaluation of the effectiveness of such interdisciplinary teams in providing early, primary palliative care (amongst others) has been mandatory by the Ministry of Health.

 

Aim

The aim of the project is to assess attitudes of patients and informal caregivers on early primary care in such community settings, in the area of Attica, Greece.

 

Methods / process

10 patients and 10 informal caregivers will be purposefully selected from an heterogeneous sample, based on the (Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool) SPICT tool. Qualitative research with semi-structured interviews will be used in order to broadly explore experiences in early, primary palliative care from Attica’s Units and address non-anticipated issues. Specific recruitment method, thematic content and narrative analysis will be used. Ethical approval by the 1st Health Care District of Attica and a written informed consent from all participants will be obtained.

 

Intended outputs / impact

Understanding the challenges of early palliative care from primary care interdisciplinary teams in Attica, Greece. Understanding how patients and families would like to be cared; what is provided could be compared to what is needed and the gap could be filled in future clinical practice and used in the evaluation of the Ministry of Health.