Continuity of physician care over the last year of life for different cause-of-death categories: a retrospective population-based study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The mix of care provided by family physicians, specialists and palliative care physicians can vary by the illnesses leading to death, which may result in disruptions of continuity of care at the end of life. We measured continuity of outpatient physician care in the last year of life across differing causes of death and assessed factors associated with higher continuity.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of adults who died in Ontario between 2013 and 2018, using linked provincial health administrative data. We calculated 3 measures of continuity (usual provider, Bice-Boxerman and sequential continuity), which range from 0 to 1, from outpatient physician visits over the last year of life for terminal illness, organ failure, frailty, sudden deat

SUBMITTER: Howard M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9648626 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature