ArticlePalliative care and social practice2023
Expectations and barriers to the utilization of specialist palliative care services among persons living with cancer in Ghana: an exploratory qualitative study.
Article in Palliative care and social practice, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- From co-creation to practice: a collaborative program strengthening palliative care capacity in primary health care in Ghana.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Communication and information needs of patients with cancer in Ghana: A scoping review.PloS one · 2026Article
- Nursing education research in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis.PLOS digital health · 2025Article
- Article
- Death and dying in Ghana: Implications for palliative and end-of-life care.Palliative care and social practice · 2025Review
- Institutional drivers for integrating palliative care services in a hospital in a sub-Saharan African military hospital context.Palliative care and social practice · 2024Article
- Exploring the Knowledge and Attitudes of Clinical Nurses Toward Palliative Care: A Qualitative Enquiry in Ghana.Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery researchArticle
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
Background: The need for palliative care among patients living with cancer is increasing globally. This need is far greater in resource-constrained settings like Ghana where there is a high unmet need for palliative care services. Consequently, there are lapses in the current palliative care regime, thus, resulting in suboptimal utilization. Objective: The study aims to explore patients living with cancer's expectations of palliative care services and examine the barriers that impede palliative care utilization. Design: Descriptive exploratory qualitative design. Methods: A total of 15 patients living with cancer and receiving treatment in a tertiary health facility were purposively sampled to participate in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data were transcribed and inductively analysed following Collaizi's qualitative analysis framework. Results: From the analysis, the findings were grouped under two main categories: perceived expectations and barriers to utilizing palliative care. The participants expected to receive meaningful communication about their condition and prognosis; they also expected to be actively involved in palliative care decision-making. Regarding the barriers, the following themes emerged: financial constraints, unfavourable health appointment schedules, problems with the distance to the health facility, poor referral and follow-up from oncology specialists and being unaware of the availability of palliative care services. Conclusion: In conclusion, there is a need to actively involve patients and their families in all decision-making along the continuum of palliative care service delivery. The study underscores the need for Ghana to implement an integration of palliative care services in primary healthcare facilities to avert the challenges that distance to tertiary healthcare facilities poses to palliative care utilization. Service providers must implement awareness programmes to enable patients to better comprehend palliative care services.
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