The goal of hospice palliative care is to improve quality of life. Comprehensive palliative care not only addresses the physical needs of individuals but also the psychological, emotional, cultural, and spiritual needs. Such services provide a good death experiences for both patients and their families and loved ones.
Individual palliative care needs vary greatly. Treatments and use of services depend on a patient’s diagnosis, prognosis, and end-of-life preferences. As such, the delivery of palliative care is not universal.
A recent study by Quinn et al (2021) analyzed the administrative data of 145 709 Ontario adult decedents between 2010 and 2017 to determine if there were any differences in palliative care among patients diagnosed with cancer, chronic organ failure (COF), and dementia in the last year of life. Specifically, the researchers looked at multiple features of palliative care including the location of the first palliative care intervention, type of physicians providing care, location of palliative care, number of palliative care visits, and location of death.
See graphic below for some of the key results of the study…
The authors note that the treatment requirements of each patient differs greatly and that the differences observed in this study do not directly indicate the quality of care that individuals received. For example, not all patients require numerous visits with a palliative care specialist in the last year of life to meet their specific end-of-life needs.
However, this population-cohort study did reveal differences in palliative care among the three illness groups. Quinn et al. partially contribute the observed variations among the three groups to the well-developed palliative care programs at cancer centers. In comparison to COF and dementia patients, cancer patients may often have more accessible palliative care options available to them within the locations they receive primary and secondary care. Researchers conclude that the results of their study have important implications for the development of future palliative care programs. More specifically these results can inform the development of education initiatives for providers that will contribute to the development of assesible palliative care services for non-cancer patients.
Citations:
Quinn, K. L., Wegier, P., Stukel, T. A., Huang, A., Bell, C. M., & Tanuseputro, P. (2021). Comparison of Palliative Care Delivery in the Last Year of Life Between Adults With Terminal Noncancer Illness or Cancer. JAMA network open, 4(3).
