Pattern and characteristics of advanced cancer patients admitted to hospices in Italy.
The aim of this multicenter study was to assess the pattern and the characteristics of advanced cancer patients admitted to hospices. A consecutive sample of patients admitted in a period of 6 months was taken into consideration. Two hundred thirty-six patients admitted to hospices were consecutivel...
| Published in: | Supportive Care in Cancer Vol. 21; no. 4; pp. 935 - 940 |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
| Format: | research Journal Article |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
Apr2013
|
| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=104242855&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 104242855 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 09414355 O1J jtl: Supportive Care in Cancer issn: 09414355 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Apr2013 vid: 21 iid: 4 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature place: New York, New York artinfo: ui: 104242855 NLM23052914 2012025429 10.1007/s00520-012-1608-3 NLM23052914 104242855 ppf: 935 ppct: 5 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Pattern and characteristics of advanced cancer patients admitted to hospices in Italy. aug: au: Mercadante, Sebastiano Valle, Alessandro Sabba, Silvana Orlando, Antonio Guolo, Francesca Gulmini, Loretta Ori, Sara Bellingardo, Rosanna Casuccio, Alessandra affil: Pain Relief and Palliative Care Unit, La Maddalena Cancer Center, Palermo, Italy, terapiadeldolore@lamaddalenanet.it. sug: subj: Hospices Neoplasms Mortality Neoplasms Pathology Palliative Care Adult Aged Aged, 80 and Over Analgesics, Opioid Administration and Dosage Female Human Italy Length of Stay Logistic Regression Male Marital Status Middle Age Outcome Assessment Statistics and Numerical Data Prospective Studies Survival Analysis Terminal Care Adult: 19-44 years Aged: 65+ years Aged, 80 & over Middle Aged: 45-64 years Female Male ab: The aim of this multicenter study was to assess the pattern and the characteristics of advanced cancer patients admitted to hospices. A consecutive sample of patients admitted in a period of 6 months was taken into consideration. Two hundred thirty-six patients admitted to hospices were consecutively assessed. Ninety-six percent of patients were admitted in acute hospital in the previous 3 months, with a mean time spent in hospital of 34.5 days, and 47 % of patients had received chemotherapy the month before hospice admission. Thirty-four percent of patients for whom data were available had significant persistent pain, and 44 % of them presented episodes of breakthrough pain. Sixty-one percent of patients were receiving opioid drugs at admission, and 70 % the day before death, with parenteral morphine and transdermal fentanyl being the opioids most frequently administered. The mean admission time in hospice was 18.4 days. Eighty-six percent died in hospice. Palliative sedation was performed in 25 % of patients who died in hospice. The short survival and the number of patients dying in hospice were the principal finding, as it appears that hospice admission is only one way for end of life treatments. Patients receive specialized palliative care only for 2-3 weeks before death, implying an inacceptable timing for patients with several problems presumed to be present early during the course of disease. Data from hospice activities in Italy strongly suggest to spread palliative care in other settings, other than home care and hospice, to intercept oncologic patients in their disease trajectory early. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
|---|