Wybrane aspekty opieki paliatywnej w percepcji rodzin dorosłych chorych onkologicznie

Introduction
Hospitalization and caring for a sick family member is a challenging experience. The aim of the study was to assess the perception of selected aspects of palliative care by families of adult cancer patients.

Material and methods
The study included a group of 108 family members of patients diagnosed with cancer and hospitalized at the Białystok Oncology Center. The study used a diagnostic survey method using the author’s questionnaire.

Results
According to the largest group of respondents, pain and suffering at the end of life is a physical experience (64.8%). Death was treated as a natural phenomenon by 82.4% of respondents, 48.2% felt fear when contacting a sick person, and 72.1% believed that it was necessary to always fight for the patient’s life. 74.9% of respondents had positive associations with hospice, and 66.7% of them believed that hospice provides comprehensive care for patients in the terminal stage of illness and that patients are provided with professional care there (79.1%). Twenty eight percent were convinced that the patient should know that he or she is in hospice. 68.3% believe the family should definitely be involved in the patient’s care/treatment. According to respondents, hospice support should be provided to the patient (98.7%), family (95.9%), and staff (87.4%). According to 87.3% of respondents, society does not pay much attention to palliative care.

Conclusions
The respondents’ families mainly had positive associations with hospice, and they saw the most significant problems in patient care at the end of life in the increasing number of patients with chronic diseases, in the lack of knowledge of society about palliative care and of relatives about the management of a dying patient, in the lack of skills in caring for a dying patient and the psychological skills of the family. Most families of surveyed patients would recommend hospice as a form of patient care.