Quality of compassionate care among children with chronic heart failure at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital: A cross-sectional analysis

Abstract

Background: Compassion is a deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it. Heart failure/HF is a progressive clinical and pathophysiological condition caused by cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular abnormalities. The study aimed to assess compassionate care among children with chronic HF at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital.

Methods: This observational cross-sectional study employed an Amharic 12-item Schwartz Center Compassionate Scale (SCCS) to assess compassionate care. Children aged 7years and above were included in the study. Logistic regression models were used to assess predictors.

Results: The study included 155 chronic HF subjects, females 56.1% (87). Majority of the re-spondents,75.5% (117), lived in an urban setting within 100-kilometers from health facility, 58.7% (91). The mean age at diagnosis and duration of follow-up was 5.2±3.8years and 5±3.5years, respectively. Congenital heart diseases, 55.5% (86) and rheumatic heart disease, 36.1% (56) were common causes for chronic HF. Successful compassionate care was reported in 25.2% (39) (95% CI: 18.5-32.8) of study subjects. Study subjects who lived within 100-kilometers from the follow up health facility had two times higher odds of reporting successful compassionate care, [AOR: 2.24, 95% CI: 1.06-4.75, P 0.035)]

Conclusion: In this study, only one fourth of study subjects with chronic heart failure had received compassionate care. Distance from the follow up health facility predicted successful com-passionate care. Modalities to improve access including decentralization of clinical services for children with chronic heart failure and further mixed studies are recommended to assess how distance from a health facility relate to compassionate care.