Palliative Care in Colombia: home care services, access barriers, and progress in the implementation of these programs during the COVID-19 pandemic
Palliative care aims to comprehensively alleviate the suffering of patients with chronic, degenerative and terminal diseases, and thus improve their quality of life by including physical, psychosocial, and spiritual aspects in the care process. In Colombia, the provision of palliative care services...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universidad Nacional de Colombia
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Revista de la Facultad de Medicina |
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| Online Access: | https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/revfacmed/article/view/95147 |
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| author | Angie Nathalia Hernández-Rico Manuel Antonio Ballén-Vanegas |
| author_facet | Angie Nathalia Hernández-Rico Manuel Antonio Ballén-Vanegas |
| author_sort | Angie Nathalia Hernández-Rico |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Palliative care aims to comprehensively alleviate the suffering of patients with chronic, degenerative and terminal diseases, and thus improve their quality of life by including physical, psychosocial, and spiritual aspects in the care process.
In Colombia, the provision of palliative care services is regulated by Law 1733 of 2014, but access to them is limited since the health care centers where these services are provided are concentrated in the large capitals of the country. Furthermore, the general population is unaware of the existence of this type of care.
The fear of contagion during the COVID-19 pandemic created additional barriers, hindering even more the access to palliative care. For example, the access of health personnel in charge of these services to patients' homes was restricted and it was observed that people avoided attending their appointments at health centers.
Similarly, isolation and social distancing measures further worsened the psychosocial suffering of both inpatients and their families, as the support and presence of their loved ones was extremely limited during the end-of-life period, making, in turn, the grieving process more difficult when these patients passed away.
Bearing this in mind, the objectives of this reflection were to explore the current situation of palliative care services in Colombia and analyze the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on their provision at home.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5c8b49be43344854809f2d040ecb3252 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0120-0011 2357-3848 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Universidad Nacional de Colombia |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista de la Facultad de Medicina |
| spelling | doaj-art-5c8b49be43344854809f2d040ecb32522025-08-20T03:08:40ZengUniversidad Nacional de ColombiaRevista de la Facultad de Medicina0120-00112357-38482022-10-0170410.15446/revfacmed.v70n4.95147Palliative Care in Colombia: home care services, access barriers, and progress in the implementation of these programs during the COVID-19 pandemicAngie Nathalia Hernández-Rico0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4545-0999Manuel Antonio Ballén-Vanegas1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9132-1429Universidad de la Sabana - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Anesthesia, Pain and Palliative Care - Chía - Colombia.Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Bogotá Campus - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Morphology - Bogotá D.C. - Colombia.Palliative care aims to comprehensively alleviate the suffering of patients with chronic, degenerative and terminal diseases, and thus improve their quality of life by including physical, psychosocial, and spiritual aspects in the care process. In Colombia, the provision of palliative care services is regulated by Law 1733 of 2014, but access to them is limited since the health care centers where these services are provided are concentrated in the large capitals of the country. Furthermore, the general population is unaware of the existence of this type of care. The fear of contagion during the COVID-19 pandemic created additional barriers, hindering even more the access to palliative care. For example, the access of health personnel in charge of these services to patients' homes was restricted and it was observed that people avoided attending their appointments at health centers. Similarly, isolation and social distancing measures further worsened the psychosocial suffering of both inpatients and their families, as the support and presence of their loved ones was extremely limited during the end-of-life period, making, in turn, the grieving process more difficult when these patients passed away. Bearing this in mind, the objectives of this reflection were to explore the current situation of palliative care services in Colombia and analyze the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on their provision at home. https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/revfacmed/article/view/95147Palliative CareHome care ServicesCoronavirus InfectionsGriefTerminal CareLiving Wills |
| spellingShingle | Angie Nathalia Hernández-Rico Manuel Antonio Ballén-Vanegas Palliative Care in Colombia: home care services, access barriers, and progress in the implementation of these programs during the COVID-19 pandemic Revista de la Facultad de Medicina Palliative Care Home care Services Coronavirus Infections Grief Terminal Care Living Wills |
| title | Palliative Care in Colombia: home care services, access barriers, and progress in the implementation of these programs during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full | Palliative Care in Colombia: home care services, access barriers, and progress in the implementation of these programs during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Palliative Care in Colombia: home care services, access barriers, and progress in the implementation of these programs during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Palliative Care in Colombia: home care services, access barriers, and progress in the implementation of these programs during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_short | Palliative Care in Colombia: home care services, access barriers, and progress in the implementation of these programs during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_sort | palliative care in colombia home care services access barriers and progress in the implementation of these programs during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | Palliative Care Home care Services Coronavirus Infections Grief Terminal Care Living Wills |
| url | https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/revfacmed/article/view/95147 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT angienathaliahernandezrico palliativecareincolombiahomecareservicesaccessbarriersandprogressintheimplementationoftheseprogramsduringthecovid19pandemic AT manuelantonioballenvanegas palliativecareincolombiahomecareservicesaccessbarriersandprogressintheimplementationoftheseprogramsduringthecovid19pandemic |