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- Title
Outpatient Palliative Care Program: Impact on Home Death Rate in Brazil.
- Authors
Gomes, Sarah Ananda; Silva, Danielle Nunes Moura; Sorice, Flavia; Arantes, Alexandra; Peixoto, Rafaela; Ferrari, Renata; Martins, Matheus; Jácome, Alexandre; Bergerot, Cristiane; de Melo, Andreia Cristina; Ferrari, Bruno
- Abstract
Simple Summary: This study investigates the impact of an outpatient palliative care program on the location of death among patients with cancer. The findings reveal a notable increase in home and hospice deaths for those participating in the program, highlighting the potential benefits of specialized palliative care in challenging healthcare contexts. While the positive impact of early palliative care on the quality of life of cancer patients is well established, there is a noticeable research gap in developing countries. This study sought to determine the impact of an outpatient palliative care (OPC) program on the location of death among patients in Brazil. This was a retrospective study including patients with cancer who died between January 2022 and December 2022 in 32 private cancer centers in Brazil. Data were collected from medical records, encompassing demographics, cancer characteristics, and participation in the OPC program. The study involved 1980 patients, of which 32.3% were in the OPC program. OPC patients were predominantly younger (average age at death of 66.8 vs. 68.0 years old, p = 0.039) and composed of women (59.4% vs. 51.3%, p = 0.019) compared to the no-OPC patients. OPC patients had more home/hospice deaths (19.6% vs. 10.4%, p < 0.001), and participation in the outpatient palliative care program strongly predicted home death (OR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.54–2.64). Our findings suggest a significant impact of the OPC program on increasing home and hospice deaths among patients with cancer in our sample. These findings emphasize the potential of specialized OPC programs to enhance end-of-life care, particularly in low-resource countries facing challenges related to social and cultural dimensions of care and healthcare access.
- Subjects
BRAZIL; CANCER treatment; MIDDLE-income countries; HEALTH services accessibility; PALLIATIVE treatment; OUTPATIENT services in hospitals; PLACE of death; EVALUATION of human services programs; CANCER patients; RETROSPECTIVE studies; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; ODDS ratio; QUALITY of life; MEDICAL records; ACQUISITION of data; TERMINAL care; CONFIDENCE intervals; SPECIALTY hospitals; LOW-income countries
- Publication
Cancers, 2024, Vol 16, Issue 7, p1380
- ISSN
2072-6694
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/cancers16071380