Challanges of Meeting the Palliative Care Needs of Colorectal Cancer patients in Iran: A Qualitative Research

BACKGROUND: Despite the high prevalence of Colorectal Cancer (CRC) in Iran and the need to pay more attention to the Palliative Care (PC) needs of patients with this disease, a few studies have previously examined the PC needs of them by gaining the patients', family members', and treatment team's views. This study aimed to investigate the challenges in the way of meeting the PC needs of CRC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a qualitative content analysis study conducted on 43 participants (including 15 patients, 20 health care providers, and eight family members) through purposive sampling and semi-structured individual interviews in Omid Educational and Medical Center and Iranian Cancer “Control Center (MACSA) in Isfahan from May 2020 to December 2021. Data analysis was performed simultaneously with data collection using conventional qualitative content analysis with the Graneheim and Lundman approach. In order to assess the trustworthiness of the obtained data, credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability criteria were used. RESULTS: Data analysis led to the production of 615 primary codes, 16 sub-categories, and five main categories. These five main categories included “Lack of facilities and equipment”, “Lack of quality of services provided by the treatment team”, “Insufficient financial support to the patient and family”, “Insufficient psychological and emotional support from the patient and family”, and “Inefficiency of the patient and community awareness process”. CONCLUSIONS: To improve the quality of care and increase patients’ satisfaction with the provided services, it is recommended that policymakers should meet the challenges of the PC.