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Quality of life from the perspective of the palliative care patient in a resource-poor community in South Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 July 2012

Jacoba J.M. Jansen van Rensburg ,
Johanna E. Maree  and
Corrien van Belkum
Jacoba J.M. Jansen van Rensburg*
Affiliation:
Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa
Johanna E. Maree
Affiliation:
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Corrien van Belkum
Affiliation:
Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Jacoba JM Jansen van Rensburg, Department of Nursing Education, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2193. E-mail: kotievr@vodamail.co.za
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Abstract

Objective:

Quality of life is an ill-defined term, as it means different things to different people. Quality of life has been well researched, especially with respect to people with cancer, but not necessarily from the perspective of the patient, and also, not in Third World, resource-poor countries. The objective of this study was to explore quality of life from the perspective of palliative care patients managed at a palliative care clinic serving a resource-poor community in Tshwane, South Africa.

Method:

An exploratory, qualitative phenomenological study was conducted. The target population for this study was all patients managed at a palliative care clinic serving a resource-poor community in Tshwane. Self-report data were gathered by means of in-depth interviews. The data were analyzed using a template analysis style as well as content analysis using open coding. Data analysis was done concurrently with data gathering. Data saturation was reached after 10 interviews (n = 10).

Results:

Three themes arose from the data: factors that had a positive influence on quality of life, factors that had a negative influence on quality of life, and experience of quality of life. Work played the most important role in quality of life whereas only one participant linked symptom control with quality of life. Experiencing symptoms, rejection, and stigmatization had a negative influence on quality of life. Friends and religion played a significant role and added to quality of life.

Significance of results:

Life was a daily struggle for survival. Poverty was so overwhelming that quality of life was primarily measured in terms of the ability to buy food and other basic commodities.

Keywords

Quality of lifePalliative careResource-poor communitySouth Africa
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , February 2013 , pp. 21 - 28
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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