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- Title
Hypodermoclysis as a Strategy for Patients With End-of-Life Cancer in Home Care Settings.
- Authors
Coelho, Tatiana A.; Wainstein, Alberto J. A.; Drummond-Lage, Ana P.
- Abstract
Background: The increase in the elderly population associated with a higher incidence of cancer strongly endorses palliative care (PC). Hypodermoclysis (HDC) is a feasible technique for drugs and fluids delivery at the home care setting. Objectives: To assess the use and benefits of HDC in patients with end-of-life cancer assisted by a single home-based palliative care program (HPCP) in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Methods: This was a retrospective study that analyzed medical charts from patients with end-of-life cancer who were assisted by an HPCP in a 1-year period of time. Results: A total of 333 patients, 81.7% with advanced cancer, were included. The most frequent symptoms were fatigue (44.4%) and pain (43.2%). Hypodermoclysis was used in 77.5% of the patients for the administration of fluids or medicines. Continuous palliative sedation was applied to 70.5% of patients. The place of death was home for 90.2% of the patients. Conclusion: Receiving home care assistance with palliative intention may decrease the need for dying patients with cancer to visit emergency units, as their symptoms were well controlled. Hypodermoclysis was a safe and effective alternative for hydration and drug delivery when provided and supervised by an experienced team. The place of death is a reliable indicator of the quality of death, and, in this study, the HPCP allowed patients to die at home with their families. It is essential for PC professionals to understand the impact of HDC use at home care setting for patients with end-of-life cancer allowing the increase of quality of death indicators.
- Subjects
BRAZIL; CANCER patient psychology; CANCER pain; CHI-squared test; CONFIDENCE intervals; FISHER exact test; FLUID therapy; HOME care services; MEDICAL records; PALLIATIVE treatment; PSYCHOLOGY of the terminally ill; TUMORS; LOGISTIC regression analysis; QUANTITATIVE research; TREATMENT effectiveness; RETROSPECTIVE studies; HYPODERMOCLYSIS; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; ACQUISITION of data methodology; ODDS ratio; MANN Whitney U Test; CANCER fatigue; SYMPTOMS; OLD age
- Publication
American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine, 2020, Vol 37, Issue 9, p675
- ISSN
1049-9091
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1177/1049909119897401