[Effects of a palliative care program based on home care nursing]

Abstract

Purpose: This study was done to develop and test a palliative care program based on home care nursing.

Methods: A quasi-experimental design was employed. Changes in the variables were evaluated to test effects of the developed program. Participants were patients with terminal cancer and their families receiving home care nursing from six hospitals (experimental group: 24 and control group: 22). Data collection was conducted from February to October, 2006. chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, t-test, Mann-Whitney U test and repeated measures ANOVA were used to analyse the data.

Results: Hypothesis 1, the experimental group receiving this program will experience less pain (severe, average, weak pain) than the control group, was supported. Hypothesis 2, the experimental group will have less symptom experience than the control group, was supported. Hypothesis 3, the experimental group will have higher QOL than the control group, was supported and the last hypothesis 4, family burden in the experimental group will be less than the control group, was supported.

Conclusion: The home care nursing based palliative program developed in this study was found to be an effective program to reduce patient pain and symptom experience, to improve patient QOL and to decrease family burden.