Quality of palliative care in children with cancer in Lebanon.

OBJECTIVE: There is a growing research interest in pediatric palliative care in Lebanon. To date the existing studies have focused on the perspective of parents of children with cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of life (QoL), symptom prevalence and management, functional ability, and the quality of care among children with cancer at the Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was used. A convenience sample of 85 patients on therapy aged 7 to 18 years participated in the study between 2010 and 2011. Using face to face interviews, a combination of four instruments were administered in Arabic. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 12.5 years, with the majority having leukemia. Overall, the children had satisfactory health-related QoL, with the exception of the nausea and worry subscales, had no limitations in functional abilities, and were satisfied with the care that they received. In children between 7 to 12 years, the most common symptoms were lack of appetite, pain, and nausea, while adolescents between 13 to 18 years experienced lack of energy, irritability, and pain. Pain and nausea were the most frequently treated symptoms. CONCLUSION: Although the participants reported satisfactory QoL, yet symptom management was inadequate and mainly focused on treating the physical symptoms. It is recommended to provide both pharmacological and psychological interventions in order to alleviate symptom burden and hence improve QoL in children with cancer.

Palliative care education in Lebanon: past endeavors and future outlook.

Within the framework of medical and nursing education, formal attention to training in palliative care (PC) continues to be overlooked by the majority of training programs. PC is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an "approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness...". In Lebanon, PC is new in the health care field and as such little is known about the preparation and education of nurses to provide PC. The purpose of this article is to describe present endeavors in Lebanon, and to recommend a model for future outlook. In conclusion PC education needs to be developed in Lebanon warranting the need for a foundation course in palliative and end-of-life care.