الفهرس 
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Abstract
Palliative care (pc) focuses on preventing and relieving the suffering of patients in all disease stages especially with cancer patients. Palliative care utilizes a multidisciplinary team consisting of physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and other allied health professionals in formulating a plan of care to relieve suffering in all areas of a patient’s life as well as their families’ need. This multidisciplinary approach allows the PC team to address the various physical, emotional, spiritual, and social concerns that are associated with advanced illnesses and PC help the patient with advance directives, and family support and education, and improving the patient satisfaction.
Aim of the study:
This study aimed to assess elderly patient satisfaction about palliative care services for cancer.
Research design:
A descriptive correlational research design was used to achieve the aim of the current study.
Setting:
The current study was conducted in pain management outpatient clinic at the National Oncology Institute, at Cairo Governorate.
Sample size: sample was collected from the total patients (5664 yearly) 5% of the total population (283 patients) was included as a study sample.
Sampling technique: probability sampling involves random convenient selection was used to recruit patients according to their eligibility.
Tools of data collection:
A self-administered interview questionnaire sheet was used to assess elderly patient satisfaction about palliative care services for cancer. This tool consists of four parts as the following.
Part 1: socio-demographic characteristics for elderly patients with cancer, this part assessed Socio-demographic characteristics regarding age, gender, education, marital status, residence, income, working status.
Part 2: medical history for elderly patients with cancer, this part assessed medical history; present, past medical history; diagnosis, complains, treatment, and plan of care.
Part 3: The Servqual multidimensional tool, this part assessed palliative care services provided in the outpatient unit to measure expectations and perceptions of five dimensions of service quality. These cover service tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and capture empathy.
Part 4: patient’s satisfaction, this part aimed to collect data about level of satisfaction of the patients.
Results:
The present study revealed the following main results:
• More than half (57.6%) of elderly patients were females, the majority (85.9%) were 65-< 75 years old,
• More than two thirds (67.1%) of them were living in the urban areas followed by rural (26.5%).
• Near one quarter (24.7%) of elderly patients had breast cancer and (24.4%) of the patients had colon cancer.
• Two fifth (39.9%) of elderly patients were discovered cancer since less than one year.
• The majority (80.6%) of patients had chronic illness, near three quarters (70.7%) of them had hypertension. (74.2%) of the patients had no previous surgery. (78.1%) of the patients don’t have disabilities or impairment and more than one tenth (11%) of the patients had hearing disability.
• Near to three quarters (72.4%) of elderly patients had previously hospitalized, less than two third (65.4%) hospitalized 1-3 times. More than two fifth (41%) stayed at the hospital 1-10 days, and more than half (59%) had chemotherapy.
• (28.6%) were satisfied about the quality care services in the outpatient’s clinic.
• (42%) of elderly patients were neutral about the quality of palliative care services in the outpatient clinic.
• In total dimensions of elderly satisfaction, showed that more than one third (42%) of elderly patients were neutral regarding palliative care characteristics
• more than one third (47.3%) were neutral regarding health care providers.
• In relation, showed relation between the total patient’s satisfactory and demographic data. There was statistically significant relation between gender, educational level, and residence place with the total patient’s satisfactory (P < 0.05), while there was no statistically significant relation regarding to age, marital status, and occupation status (P > 0.05).
Recommendations:
In view of the study results, the following recommendations are proposed;
• The setting administrator should take corrective actions to improve patient’s satisfaction, particularly regarding to tangibility services and hospital environment.
• Quality and accessible palliative care system needs to be integrated into primary health care, community, and home-based care, supporting care providers such as family and community volunteers.
• Providing palliative care should be considered an ethical duty for health professional.
• Enhancing the trust relationship between elderly patients and outpatient clinic staff.
• Promote attention to all patient’s palliative needs; physical, psychological, social, or financial.
• Encourage the establishment of more palliative care centers in areas where there is little or no access to palliative care.
• Encourage training courses and workshops for all health care providers about palliative care services for elderly patients with cancer.
• Further research in the field of palliative care for elderly patients with cancer.