Kreitzschitz K, Macpherson C Cox
Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation, St George's University School of Medicine, St George's, Grenada.
West Indian Med J. 2003 Dec;52(4):311-6.
In industrialized countries, there is growing attention to improving the quality of healthcare provided to patients with terminal or chronic illnesses as they near the end of their lives. Many patients in wealthy nations reportedly die in severe pain, but little has been documented about pain or suffering at the end of life in less economically developed nations. This qualitative study explores end of life concerns in the Caribbean among health professionals and people who had lost a loved one. It found that many patients with terminal illnesses chose to die in their homes where they could be cared for by family and/or friends, but that these patients endured much pain and their caregivers also suffered. In the absence of national or institutional policy on pain relief or end of life care, most of these patients and their caregivers seek spiritual comfort. This paper illustrates the need for health professionals and policy makers to do more to relieve suffering at the end of life.
在工业化国家，人们越来越关注提高为患有晚期或慢性疾病且生命接近尾声的患者提供的医疗保健质量。据报道，富裕国家的许多患者在剧痛中死亡，但关于经济欠发达国家临终时的疼痛或痛苦情况，记录却很少。这项定性研究探讨了加勒比地区卫生专业人员和失去亲人的人们对临终问题的关注。研究发现，许多晚期疾病患者选择在家中去世，以便能得到家人和/或朋友的照顾，但这些患者承受了巨大痛苦，他们的照顾者也很痛苦。由于缺乏关于疼痛缓解或临终关怀的国家或机构政策，这些患者及其照顾者大多寻求精神慰藉。本文表明，卫生专业人员和政策制定者需要做出更多努力来减轻临终时的痛苦。
