Optimal timing for hospice-shared care initiation in terminal cancer patients

Factors Contributing to Non-Concordance Between End-of-Life Care and Advance Care Planning

CONTEXT

Despite making do-not-resuscitate or comfort care decisions during advance care planning, terminally ill patients sometimes receive life-sustaining treatments as they approach end of life.

OBJECTIVES

To examine factors contributing to nonconcordance between end-of-life care and advance care planning.

METHODS

In this longitudinal retrospective cohort study, terminally ill patients with a life expectancy shorter than six months, who had previously expressed a preference for do-not-resuscitate or comfort care, were followed up after palliative shared care intervention. An instrument with eight items contributing to non-concordant care, developed through literature review and experts' consensus, was employed. An expert panel reviewed electronic medical records to determine factors associated with non-concordant care for each patient. Statistical analysis, including descriptive statistics and the chi-square test, examines demographic characteristics, and associations.

RESULTS

Among the enrolled 7871 patients, 97 (1.2%) received non-concordant care. The most prevalent factor was "families being too distressed about the patient's deteriorating condition and therefore being unable to let go" (84.5%) followed by "limited understanding of medical interventions among patients and surrogates" (38.1%), and "lack of patient participation in the decision-making process" (25.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals that factors related to relational autonomy, emotional support, and health literacy may contribute to non-concordance between advance care planning and end-of-life care. In the future, developing an advance care planning model emphasizes respecting relational autonomy, providing emotional support, and enhancing health literacy could help patients receiving a goal concordant and holistic end-of-life care.

Effects of hospice-shared care on terminal cancer patients in Taiwan: A hospital-based observational study

PURPOSE

To assess how hospice-shared care (HSC) affected the likelihood of aggressive medical treatments and the life quality among terminal cancer patients.

METHODS

In the first part, a cohort of 160 late-stage cancer patients who died in non-hospice wards were identified to review their charts in their last 22 days before death. In the second part, a total of 19 late-stage cancer patients with clear consciousness admitted to non-hospice wards were identified to investigate their quality of life for the final 2 weeks before death.

RESULTS

The utilization rate of HSC was 55.6%. Among these, the rate for late referral to HSC (≤7 days before death) was 43.8% and early referral (>3 months before death) was 5.6%. Compared to the non-HSC group, in the last few weeks of life, the HSC group underwent lower incidence of chemotherapy use (10.1% vs. 39.4%, p < .001), signed do-not-resuscitate orders (0% vs. 21.1%, p < .001), emergency room visits (13.5% vs. 40.8%, p < .001), intensive care unit admission or ventilator use (2.2% vs. 11.3%, p = .019), and endotracheal intubation (2.2% vs. 9.9%, p = .038). However, the quality of life did not appear to have obvious differences between the two groups (p > .05).

CONCLUSION

In Taiwan, late HSC referral in terminal cancer patients is common. HSC is associated with a reduced likelihood of aggressive medical utilization. However, the effect of HSC in improving patients' quality of life in the last few weeks needs to be further evaluated.

Exploring the effects of acceptable palliative care models on survival time and healthcare expenditure among patients with cancer: a national longitudinal population-based study

OBJECTIVE

Hospice care ensures better end-of-life quality by relieving terminal symptoms. Prior research has indicated that hospice care could prolong survival and reduce end-of-life medical expenditures among patients with cancer. However, the dearth of studies on the effects of hospice care type and use sequence on survival time and end-of-life medical expenditures substantiates the need for investigation.

DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING

Two million random records were obtained from the National Health Insurance Research Database.

STUDY DESIGN

We estimated the effects of the type and sequence of hospice care use on survival time and medical expenditures among advanced cancer patients. This was a cross-sectional study.

DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS

Patient data were collected from 2 million random records provided by the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. We included people with cancer and excluded patients under 20 years of age; 2860 patients remained after matching.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

The results indicated that the average survival time of patients who received inpatient palliative care (1022 days) was significantly shorter than that of patients who did not receive palliative care (P < 0.001), but the health care expenditure during the entire course of cancer therapy was not the lowest. Interestingly, patients who received inpatient palliative care had the lowest health care expenditure at 1 year or month before the end of life (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The type and sequence of palliative care affected the survival time and health care expenditures of cancer patients. Receiving palliative care did not prolong survival but rather reduced health care expenditures. The sequence of receiving palliative care significantly affected health care expenditures.