Socio-economic determinants for the place of last care: results from the acute palliative care unit of a large comprehensive cancer center in a high-income country in Europe.

ABSTRACT:

Background and introduction

The place of last care carries importance for patients at the end of life. It is influenced by the realities of the social welfare and healthcare systems, cultural aspects, and symptom burden. This study aims to investigate the place of care trajectories of patients admitted to an acute palliative care unit.

Materials and methods

The medical records of all patients hospitalized on our acute palliative care unit in 2019 were assessed. Demographic, socio-economic and disease characteristics were recorded. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to identify determinants for place of last care.

Results

A total of 377 patients were included in this study. Median age was 71 (IQR, 59-81) years. Of these patients, 56% (n = 210) were male.

SUBMITTER: Christ SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10408184 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature