Mapping Levels of Palliative Care Service Development in Malaysian Public Hospitals Using the WHO Public Health Model of Palliative Care.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: This national audit involving Ministry of Health (MOH) Hospitals aimed to map out the levels of development of palliative care services and essential palliative medication availability in Malaysia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online survey coupled with manual follow up was conducted throughout all MOH hospitals in Malaysia. Data collected described elements of the palliative care service(PCS) based on the WHO public health model. Data was computed using a novel matrix to determine three key indices which were the 1) palliative care development score (PCDS), 2)essential medications availability score (EMAS) and 3) opioid availability score (OAS). These scores then allowed mapping of PCS according to scores of 1-4 (1=least developed, 4=most developed). FINDINGS: Out of all 140 MOH hospitals 88.6% (124) completed the PCDS survey, 120(85.7%) for the EMAS survey and 140 (100%) for the OAS survey. A total of 32(25.8%) hospitals had formal PCS with 8(25%) having resident palliative physicians (RPP), 8(25%) visiting palliative physicians(VPP) and 16(50%) no palliative physician (NPP). Out of these services, 17 (53%) had dedicated palliative care beds. In the PCDS survey, hospitals with PCS had significantly higher mean PCDS of 2.59 compared to 1.02 for non-PCS hospitals (P<0.001). The EMAS survey showed 109(90.8%) hospitals had EMAS of four and the OAS survey showed that 135(96.4%) hospitals had oral morphine available. CONCLUSION: This study shows that palliative care service development in MOH hospitals is still very limited however, majority of MOH hospitals in Malaysia have all the essential medications and oral morphine available.

End-of-life care in patients with advanced lung cancer.

Despite advances in the detection, pathological diagnosis and therapeutics of lung cancer, many patients still develop advanced, incurable and progressively fatal disease. As physicians, the duties to cure sometimes, relieve often and comfort always should be a constant reminder to us of the needs that must be met when caring for a patient with lung cancer. Four key areas of end-of-life care in advanced lung cancer begin with first recognizing 'when a patient is approaching the end of life'. The clinician should be able to recognize when the focus of care needs to shift from an aggressive life-sustaining approach to an approach that helps prepare and support a patient and family members through a period of progressive, inevitable decline. Once the needs are recognized, the second key area is appropriate communication, where the clinician should assist patients and family members in understanding where they are in the disease trajectory and what to expect. This involves developing rapport, breaking bad news, managing expectations and navigating care plans. Subsequently, the third key area is symptom management that focuses on the goals to first and foremost provide comfort and dignity. Symptoms that are common towards the end of life in lung cancer include pain, dyspnoea, delirium and respiratory secretions. Such symptoms need to be anticipated and addressed promptly with appropriate medications and explanations to the patient and family. Lastly, in order for physicians to provide quality end-of-life care, it is necessary to understand the ethical principles applied to end-of-life-care interventions. Misconceptions about euthanasia versus withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatments may lead to physician distress and inappropriate decision making.