Kontakt 2009, 11(2):320-327 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2009.051

Dying and quality of providing needs of dying peopleNursing

Mária Homolová

Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, Rímskokatolícka cyrilometodská bohoslovecká fakulta

The human being does not loss his/her dignity in the process of dying. The hospice movement attempts to provide the humanization of the dying process. The ambition of the state healthcare system should be providing the quality and appropriately affordable care for dying people. Dying is a process, in which healthcare professionals and relatives of the dying person play their important roles. The quality of taking care of the dying person on the one hand affects accepting the fact of the approaching death and, on the other hand, reduces the emotional load to the relatives.
In the research, contemporary opinions concerning dying and quality of taking care of dying people in the present and future healthcare professionals were determined. The target of this was to determine opinions concerning the quality of care and fears and desires associated with dying. The research mapped opinions in two research groups based on a questionnaire compiled. The first research group were students of the second, third and fourth years of the branch nursing and public health and of the branch of medicine at the Jessenius Medical Faculty in Martin. The second research group were staff members of hospices and palliative institutions from the whole Slovakia.
The results of the research of opinions may be analyzed and interpreted in particular regions investigated:
- evaluation of taking care of dying people,
- fears and desires associated with dying.
Results of the evaluation of taking care of dying people indicate that the respondents consider the currently existing level of taking the health care of dying people as rather insufficient. More than half the respondents considered the level of information of the patient about his/her terminal stage as rather insufficient. A high level of satisfaction with the inhibition of pains in dying people is demonstrated. Half the respondents consider satisfaction of spiritual needs as good; the level of the interest of relatives in the patient at terminal stage is evaluated by respondents as rather good. The research supported a considerable difference in the evaluation of taking care of mental requirements compared to the attention paid to relatives among students and staff members in the palliative and hospice care. There is the most significant difference in the evaluation between students and staff members in the field of taking care of spiritual needs. Taking care of mental needs is negatively evaluated by students as well as staff members in the palliative and hospice care.
In the field of rights, fears and desires associated with dying, the results of the research support the fact that there is a significant desire of respondents to die at home. The respondents considered the fear of separation from their relatives and loneliness as the most important factor.

Keywords: dignity; dying; quality of taking care; contemporary level of the health care; level of information; level of inhibiting pains; mental needs; spiritual needs; attention paid to relatives; fears; desires; home

Received: January 21, 2009; Accepted: May 25, 2009; Published: December 18, 2009  Show citation