Hospital-based evaluation of palliative care among patients with advanced cervical cancer: a cross-sectional study

Palliative care is among the standards of care in cancer treatment that should be provided to those in need within the existing healthcare system. In Ethiopia, patients with cervical cancer experience a long wait for curative radiotherapy, while the level of palliative care delivery is unknown. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the practice of palliative care among women diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer.

A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Using a structured questionnaire, face-to-face interviews were made with randomly selected patients with advanced cervical cancer. Information on patient characteristics, medical records, and knowledge, attitude and practice of palliative care was captured, analysed, and presented. Data collection was conducted following ethical standards after obtaining approval from the hospital.

A total of 385 patients were interviewed, most of whom were over 50 years and illiterate. The patients had poor knowledge regarding comprehensive palliative care, a good attitude, and poor practices. Most patients either do not know about palliative care or consider it solely as a pain treatment. The patients expressed a good attitude towards palliative care; however, their attitude towards talking about suffering, death, and dying was poor. Almost all patients have received some form of palliative care. However, poor pain control, inadequate education and counselling, and poor social, economic, and spiritual supports were documented.

Patients with advanced cervical cancer expressed a good attitude but had poor knowledge and practice of comprehensive palliative care. The palliative care delivery needs to address the communication, psychosocial, economic, and spiritual components of the comprehensive palliative care.