Perception Of Patients/Family And Healthcare Practitioners On Palliative Care As Alternative To Dialysis In The Treatment Of End-Satge Kidney Disease In Kumasi Metropolis

ABSTRACT

The main aim of this study was to establish patients/family and healthcare

practitioners’ perception on palliative care as alternative to dialysis in the

treatment of End Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) in Kumasi Metropolis. A

descriptive qualitative with phenomenological overtone research design was

used for this study. A purposive sampling technique was used to obtain 17

participants (8 health care practitioners, 6 patients and 3 family members) out

of 30 healthcare practitioners and 32 patients in all the three centres in Kumasi

Metropolis. The respondents’ perception on palliative care as alternative to

dialysis in the management of ESKD was evaluated using face to face

interview. The findings of the study indicated most respondents elaborated

that, palliative care is the treatment given to patients whose disease is not

responsive to curative treatment. Most of the respondents perceived that

patients’ living with chronic diseases will die but to promote peaceful death,

quality of life should be offered through palliative care. It is concluded that at

the advanced stage of ESKD where dialysis will not improve quality of life,

palliative nursing care is the alternative treatment to dialysis in the

management of ESKD. It is recommended that treatment options should be

made available for patient/family to make informed choice. Palliative care as

an alternative management for ESKD should be part of the treatment options

in the management of all patients/family with ESKD.