Unlocking timely palliative care: assessing referral practices and barriers at a ghanaian teaching hospital

BMC Palliative Care

Table 1 Personal and work characteristics of respondents

Variable	Frequency	Percentage
Age group
≤ 30	79	51.6
31–45	52	34.0
46–50	12	7.8
> 50	10	6.6
Gender
Male	96	62.7
Female	57	37.3
Department
Obstetrics and Gynaecology	41	26.8
Surgical	47	30.7
Medical	20	13.1
Child health	10	6.5
Cardiothoracic	15	9.8
Haematology	20	13.1
Rank
House officer	59	38.6
Medical Officer	18	11.8
Resident	55	35.9
Consultant	21	13.7
Religions affiliation
Christianity	140	91.5
Islam	12	7.8
Other	1	0.7
Years of practice
≤ 3	61	39.9
> 3	92	60.1
Late referral due to physician-related barriers
Yes	104	68.0
No	49	32.0
Late referral from family and patient-related issues
Yes	27	17.6
No	126	82.4
Late referral due to physicians’ perception of palliative care
Yes	21	13.7
No	132	86.3

ISSN: 1472-684X