Korean J Hosp Palliat Care.  2013 Mar;16(1):10-19. 10.14475/kjhpc.2013.16.1.010.

Assessment of the Effect of a Public Health Clinics' Home-Based Terminal Cancer Patient Management in Collaboration with a Regional Cancer Center

• Song HN
• Kang MH
• Lee GW
• Kim HG
• Lee WS
• Kang JH
• Kang YS
• Eun Y

• KMID: 2305313
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14475/kjhpc.2013.16.1.010

Abstract

PURPOSE
Home-based care providers were surveyed to assess the effect of collaborative service between Gyeongnam Regional Cancer Center (GRCC) and public health centers (PHCs) in Gyeongnam province.
METHODS
Twenty home-based care providers who had previously participated in the GRCC-PHC care project were recruited from nine PHCs and were surveyed using a questionnaire developed by specialists. Questions were rated using the 5-point Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree (-2)" to "strongly agree (+2)" and each score was multiplied by the corresponding number of respondents (n=20) with the maximum score of 40.
RESULTS
Between January 2008 and December 2011, 73 patients were registered to the collaborative service: 72 by GRCC and one by PHC. Home-based care providers marked the highest score (23 points) to "The collaborative service contributed to patients and their family's psychological stability" and the lowest score (11 points) to "The collaborative service was generally helpful for home-based cancer management." For possible suggestions to improve the service, the highest score (35 points) was given to "Simplification of the hospitalization process" followed by "Substantial benefits for patients at their visit to the hospital" (34 points).
CONCLUSION
The results revealed several limitations of the GRCC-PHC collaborative care service for terminal cancer patients. The service could be further improved by developing measures to address the limitations and a service model tailored to region-specific needs.

Keyword

Home care services; Community health centers; Neoplasms; Academic medical center; Referral and consultation

MeSH Terms

Academic Medical Centers
Community Health Centers
Cooperative Behavior
Surveys and Questionnaires
Home Care Services
Hospitalization
Humans
Public Health
Referral and Consultation
Specialization