E-ISSN: 2536-507X ISSN: 2149-7893
Configuration of Palliative Care Clinics and Integration with Home Health Care Services: Current Practice in Turkey
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Original Article
VOLUME: 5 ISSUE: 3
P: 196-199
September 2020

Configuration of Palliative Care Clinics and Integration with Home Health Care Services: Current Practice in Turkey

Cyprus J Med Sci 2020;5(3):196-199
DOI: 10.5152/cjms.2020.1111
Mustafa Hamidullah Türkkanı 1
Tarkan Özdemir 2
Fatih Göksel 3
Çiğdem Özdilekcan 2
1. Department of Pulmonology, Sincan Dr. Nafiz Körez State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
2. Department of Pulmonology, University of Health Sciences Dr. Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Oncology Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
3. Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Health Sciences Dr. Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Oncology Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
No information available.
No information available
Received Date: 21.06.2019
Accepted Date: 29.08.2019
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ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIMS

The establishment of palliative care clinics (PCCs) and the integration between PCCs and home health care are important for both patient comfort and disease-related cost reduction. We aimed to analyze PCC distribution and structure of state hospitals along with human resources, and to evaluate the integration of PCCs with home health care services in Turkey.

MATERIAL and METHODS

Data of PCCs started between January 2015 and February 2017 were analyzed in this study with the help of data obtained from the Turkish Ministry of Health.

RESULTS

PCCs are available in 28.9% of state hospitals active in Turkey. Of the total 2957 staff working in PCCs, 77.6% are health care professionals, with 9.9% being doctors. Home health care service (HHCS) units are available in 76.3% of hospitals with PCCs. Service was offered to 48,953 patients in PCCs, 5.7% of whom were transferred to HHCS in an integrational manner.

CONCLUSION

Integration between PCCs and HHCS remains at an inadequate level. We believe that the benefits of integration should be observed by patients, relatives, and health personnel, thereby increasing awareness and accelerating integration. In addition, we believe that hospital information management systems can be used for this purpose and software programs can be developed to accelerate integration between these 2 units.