International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

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Dr. Matthew Allsop

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Guest Editor

Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9NL, UK
Interests: palliative care; end-of-life care; digital technology; applied health research; user involvement; stakeholder engagement; global health research; low-resource settings
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global demand for palliative and end-of-life care continues to rise as populations age, with a concurrent increase in the burden of non-communicable—as well as some communicable—diseases. Access to palliative care is limited worldwide, with only a minority of those in need receiving timely access to palliative and end-of-life care, particularly in low-resource settings. This is due to factors such as financial pressures, underdeveloped infrastructure, geographical constraints (e.g., rural settings), and environmental factors. Access to effective palliative care is a critical component of universal health coverage and needs to be achieved in ways that mitigate, circumvent, or overcome such inhibiting factors.

Many people nearing the end of their lives face challenges related to life-threatening illnesses, including but not limited to their physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and communication needs. With the early integration of the person-centered approach to palliative care, the quality of life of patients and their families can be improved.

Innovative models of palliative care delivery continue to be developed globally to increase access to care for people with life-threatening illnesses. One approach, further catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic, is the use of digital health capabilities and technological innovation. If developed and implemented well, digitally enabled models of care could strengthen progress towards a more equitable state of universal health coverage. However, it is critical to ensure digitally enabled models of care are implemented optimally to meet the needs of service users, their caregivers, and their healthcare providers.

This Special Issue seeks to draw together much-needed evidence to guide the development of palliative care and end-of-life care services globally, particularly with a focus on the application of digital technologies.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Nursing Reports.

Dr. Matthew Allsop
Guest Editor

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Keywords

palliative care
end-of-life care
digital technology
health research
user involvement
global health

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 349 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Community Palliative Care on Quality of Life among Cancer Patients in Bangladesh

by Mostofa Kamal Chowdhury, Shafiquejjaman Saikot, Nadia Farheen, Nezamuddin Ahmad, Sarwar Alam and Stephen R. Connor

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(15), 6443; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20156443 - 25 Jul 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1538

Abstract

Cancer, a leading cause of mortality worldwide, is often diagnosed at late stages in low- and middle-income countries, resulting in preventable suffering. When added to standard oncological care, palliative care may improve the quality of life (QOL) of these patients. A longitudinal observational study was conducted from January 2020 to December 2021. Thirty-nine cancer patients were enrolled in the Compassionate Narayanganj community palliative care group (NPC), where they received comprehensive palliative care in addition to oncological care. Thirty-one patients from the Dept. of Oncology (DO) at BSMMU received standard oncological care. In contrast to the DO group, the NPC group had a higher percentage of female patients, was older, and had slightly higher levels of education. At 10 to 14 weeks follow-up, a significant improvement in overall QOL was observed in the NPC group (p = 0.007), as well as in the psychological (p = 0.003), social (p = 0.002), and environmental domains (p = 0.15). Among the secondary outcomes, the palliative care group had reduced disability and neuropathic pain scores. Additionally, there were statistically significant reductions in pain, drowsiness, and shortness of breath, as well as an improvement in general wellbeing, based on the results of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale—Revised. At the community level in Bangladesh, increased access to palliative care may improve cancer patient outcomes such as QOL and symptom burden. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care)

Other

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17 pages, 1874 KiB

Open AccessOpinion

Remote Symptom Monitoring to Enhance the Delivery of Palliative Cancer Care in Low-Resource Settings: Emerging Approaches from Africa

by Omolola Salako, Adaorah Enyi, Susan Miesfeldt, Johnblack K. Kabukye, Mamsau Ngoma, Eve Namisango, Virginia LeBaron, Chenjerai Sisimayi, Bassey Ebenso, Karl A. Lorenz, Yan Wang, Julie Ryan Wolf, Corina van den Hurk and Matthew Allsop

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(24), 7190; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20247190 - 17 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1753

Abstract

This paper brings together researchers, clinicians, technology developers and digital innovators to outline current applications of remote symptom monitoring being developed for palliative cancer care delivery in Africa. We outline three remote symptom monitoring approaches from three countries, highlighting their models of delivery and intended outcomes, and draw on their experiences of implementation to guide further developments and evaluations of this approach for palliative cancer care in the region. Through highlighting these experiences and priority areas for future research, we hope to steer efforts to develop and optimise remote symptom monitoring for palliative cancer care in Africa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care)

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