Quality of Palliative Care: Perspective of Healthcare Providers at a Tertiary Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

This study aimed to measure the quality of palliative care from the perspective of healthcare professionals at a tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional survey was distributed to 80 healthcare professionals working at the palliative care department. The questionnaire assessed the dimensions that measure the quality of palliative care (Structure and Aspects of Care, Cultural Aspects of Care, Care of the Imminently Dying Patient, Ethical Issues), overall quality of care, ethical Processes of Care, Physical Aspects of Care, Psychological/Psychiatric Aspects dilemmas occurring in the practice setting, and barriers to the provision of optimal end-of-life care. The total mean for the quality for care was 4.26 (SD = 0.45), indicating that all participants' perceptions regarding all dimensions tended to skew toward agree and strongly agree. However, the score on the psychological/psychiatric aspects of care was the lowest compared to other dimensions, with a mean of 3.7, which means it needs more consideration. Moreover, participants' mean rate of agreement on the quality of palliative care services was 4.62 out of 5. The majority of the participants agreed that they and their colleagues provided high-quality end-of-life care. Regarding barriers to the provision of optimal end-of-life care, with a mean score of 3.22 out of 5, participants agreed that such barriers existed in the palliative department. The present findings indicate that healthcare providers considered the overall quality of palliative care to be high, but the psychological/psychiatric aspects of care needed further consideration. Further, the occurrence of ethical dilemmas and barriers to the provision of optimal end of life needs to be managed appropriately.