The desire for death in Portuguese home-care palliative patients: Retrospective analysis of the prevalence and associated factors.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Desire for death (DfD) is a complex and multifactorial dimension of end-of-life experience. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of DfD and its associations, arising within the setting of a tertiary home-based palliative care (PC) unit.

Method

Retrospective analysis of all DfD entries registered in our anonymized database from October 2018 to April 2020.

Results

Of the 163 patients anonymously registered in our database, 122 met entry criteria; 52% were male, the average age was 69 years old; 85% had malignancies, with a mean performance status (PPS) of 56%. The prevalence of DfD was 20%. No statistical differences were observed between patients with and without DfD regarding sex, age, marital status, religion, social support, prior PC or psychological follow

SUBMITTER: Juliao M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8004538 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature