Cultural Challenges in Implementing Palliative Care Services in Jordan

Abstract

E-mail: khaledkhader@yahoo.com Palliative care in Jordan is considered to be advanced in comparison to that of other Middle Special Edition 1 East countries. According to Jordanian leaders of palliative care, Jordan is not different from Article Ref. #: 1000PMHCOJSE1114 advanced countries in applying principles and approaches of palliative care. There are many cultural challenges hinder provision of these services. First, fear of addiction by patients, fam- Article History ily and healthcare providers prevent them from providing adequate pain management. Second, Received: April 6th, 2017 lack of adequate knowledge regarding pain management among healthcare providers is also Accepted: July 10th, 2017 a great challenge. In addition, health policies and inadequacy of palliative services make the Published: July 12th, 2017 problem worse. Third, fear of family and physician to refer patients to palliative care as it is considered to be failure of treatment. Fourth, lack of family participation in most medical and end-of-life decisions deprive patients from receiving proper palliative care. Finally, religious Citation misconceptions force patient to suffer pain to an intolerable level and prevent them from seek- Khader K. Cultural challenges in im- ing immediate medical help. To overcome these challenges, it is recommended to improve plementing palliative care services in Jordan. Palliat Med Hosp Care Open palliative health policy at national level, include palliative care materials in health curriculum, J. 2017; SE(1): S68-S72. raise public awareness of palliative care, and provide more opportunities for palliative training and research.