Determinants of End-of-Life Expenditures in Patients with Oral Cancer in Taiwan: A Population-Based Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

To investigate the association of basic demographic data, socioeconomic status, medical services, and hospital characteristics with end-of-life expenditure in patients with oral cancer in Taiwan who died between 2009 to 2011.

Methods

This nationwide population-based, retrospective cohort study identified 5,386 patients who died from oral cancer. We evaluated medical cost in the last month of life by universal health insurance. The impact of each variable on the end-of-life expenditure was examined by hierarchical generalized linear model (HGLM) using a hospital-level random-intercept model.

Results

The mean medical cost in the last six months of life was $2,611±3,329 (U.S. dollars). In HGLM using a random-intercept model, we found that patients younger than

SUBMITTER: Lee CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4422718 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature