title: The experiences of suffering of palliative care patients in Malaysia: a thematic analysis.
abstract: A qualitative study was conducted with semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of suffering in 20 adult palliative care inpatients of University Malaya Medical Centre. The results were thematically analyzed. Ten basic themes were generated (1) loss and change → differential suffering, (2) care dependence → dependent suffering, (3) family stress → empathic suffering, (4) disease and dying → terminal suffering, (5) health care staff encounters → interactional suffering, (6) hospital environment → environmental suffering, (7) physical symptoms → sensory suffering, (8) emotional reactions → emotional suffering, (9) cognitive reactions → cognitive suffering, and (10) spiritual reactions → spiritual suffering. An existential-experiential model of suffering was conceptualized from the analysis. This model may inform the development of interventions in the prevention and management of suffering.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya Medical Center, Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Tan Seng
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Beng
authors.forename: Ng Chong
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Lim Kheng
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Seang
authors.forename: Subramaniam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pathmawathi
authors.forename: Moy Foong
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ming
authors.forename: Lim Ee
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Jane
authors.forename: Loh Ee
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.forename: Lam Chee
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Loong
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000368:Aged; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003071:Cognition; D004644:Emotions; D004645:Empathy; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D029181:Spirituality; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*