Assesment of Knowledge, Utilization and Accessibility of Palliative Care Among Cervical Cancer Patients in Tikur Anbesa Hospital Addis Ababa Ethiopia
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Date
2014-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background-Palliative care is defined by World Health Organization as an approach that
improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-
threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification
and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other physical, psychosocial and spiritual
problems. This study attempted to assess the knowledge, accessibility and Utilization of palliative
care Services to Cervical Cancer and its determinants at Tikur Anbesa Hospital, Ethiopia,
Method: This study was a cross-sectional Institution based study of women who had Cervical
Cancer in TAH. The study was carried out in Tikur Anbesa Hospital with purposive selection,
since it was the only center of palliative care and treatment services in Ethiopia. Data was
collected by interviewing the client’s using a pretested Amharic version questionnaire. During the
survey, 384 women with cervical cancer were interviewed. Data entry was done using Epi Info
version 3.5.1 and was exported to SPSS version 21 for analysis. Logistic regression was applied
to control confounders.
Result: Out of the total clients interviewed, 239(62.2%) respondents who had treatment in Tikur
Anbesa Specialized Hospital were knowledgeable about palliative care for cervical cancer. About
86% of client’s were in the age 35 years old or older. About Nine out of ten (89.8%) respondents
reported problems on accessibility of palliative care services for cervical cancer in Tikur Anbesa
hospital. Women’s knowledge of care (AOR=26.9), presence of little physical wellbeing to the
respondents (AOR=3.1), social wellbeing of the respondents (AOR=1.7); monthly income of the
respondents (AOR=0.25) and marital status of the women (AOR=55.4) were statistically
significantly associated with respondent’s utilization of palliative care services for cervical cancer
at Tikur Anbesa Hospital.
Conclusion: Among patients with cervical cancer who were interviewed, nearly, more than three
women out of five had reported palliative care services from its center at Tikur Anbesa Hospital
in the last 12 months of data collection.
Recommendation: Community Mobilization through the media, posters and face to face on
community health day focusing on palliative care services to cervical cancer must be addressed
by Addis Ababa Town administrations and policy makers. Since the center was only TAH, the
FDRE government must build another center in Addis or elsewhere in the country so that the
problems of resources can be solved.TAH has to fulfill all the facilitations listed and needed for
clients with cervical cancer for palliative services based on the standards.
Key words: palliative care, cervical cancer, Tikur Anbesa Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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Keywords
Palliative care, Cervical cancer, Tikur Anbesa Hospital