Characteristics and Palliative Care Needs of Older Indonesian Adults With Chronic Hypertension

Chronic diseases like hypertension have become a global burden in the older population and are associated with high mortality rates and poor quality of life. The tenacity of these diseases could increase the comorbidities and impact older patients who need palliative care (PC) services to manage the symptoms and improve their quality of life. This study aims to determine the characteristics and determinants of PC needs of older Indonesian adult patients with chronic hypertension. 

This cross-sectional study applied a quantitative research design. The study was conducted in a primary healthcare facility in Kolaka Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, from July to October 2022. The study subjects were 142 elderlies with chronic hypertension who were recruited by the census method. The data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the Indonesian version of the supportive and PC indicators tool (SPICT 2019 version). The data were analyzed with the Pearson chi-square test at a significant level P<0.05 in IBM SPSS software, version 25. 

According to the findings, 47.2% of the respondents were in the age group of 55 to 64 years, most were women (55.6%), and living in rural areas (54.9%). Also, most had comorbidities (77.5%), at least one comorbidity (66.9%), and 26.8% needed palliative care. The bivariate analysis showed that comorbidities are associated with PC needs among older adults with chronic hypertension (P<0.05). 

This study showed that comorbidity has a significant relationship with PC needs in older patients with chronic hypertension. This condition demands the treatment team members’ attention to comorbidities in patients with chronic hypertension. To enhance the results’ generalizability and provide stronger evidence, it is advisable to conduct research with a larger sample size.