The impact of palliative care contact on the use of hospital resources at the end of life for brain tumor patients; a nationwide register-based cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

The aim of this nationwide retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the timing of the first specialist palliative care (SPC) contact and its impact on the use of hospital resources at the end of life in patients with brain tumors.

Materials and methods

The analysis comprised 373 brain tumor patients who died during 2019 in Finland. Patients were divided into two groups according to the time of first SPC contact: early, i.e. first SPC contact more than 30 days before death, and late, i.e. no SPC contact or 30 days or less before death.

Results

216 (58%) were male, with a mean age of 67 years (range 18-94). SPC contact was established for 102 (27%) patients and the median time of first SPC contact before death was 76 days. Patients with an early SPC contact ha

SUBMITTER: Nahls NS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11968532 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature