Opioid Analgesics Prescription to End-of-Life Cancer Patients: Characteristics, Attitudes, and Practices of French General Practitioners

Patterns of opioid analgesic prescribing in cancer outpatients during the last year of life in France: A pharmacoepidemiological cohort study based on the French health insurance database

Cancer pain management with adequate analgesics for cancer outpatients can be particularly challenging. This representative retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate the prevalence and timing of weak and strong opioid analgesic prescriptions in cancer outpatients during their last year of life, with a focus on factors associated to potential late strong opioid initiation. Factors associated with late strong opioid initiation were investigated through multivariate logistic regression analyses stratified by place of death. A retrospective cohort of cancer outpatients, who died between 2014 and 2016, was identified from the general sample of beneficiaries. Among N=4704 cancer patients (median age 76 years, 42.7% women), 3002 (63.8%) were prescribed and dispensed ≥1 weak or strong opioid analgesic during their last year of life; of whom, 2458 (52.3%) received ≥1 weak opioid analgesic (tramadol as single-ingredient accounting for 25.9%) and 1733 (36.8%) ≥1 strong opioid analgesic dispensation (fentanyl 21.6%). Median interval between the first prescription for any strong opioid and death was 18 weeks (interquartile range: 8-38), and for weak opioids 33 weeks (interquartile range: 20-47). Among weak opioid users, 1229 (50.0%) patients had received ≥1 weak opioid analgesic dispensation during the year n-2 before death. Among strong opioid users, 986 (56.9%) patients had received ≥1 weak opioid analgesic dispensation during the year n-2 before death and 381 (21.9%) patients ≥1 strong opioid analgesic dispensation. Patients with an outpatient death were more likely to have a late strong opioid initiation compared to patients with an inpatient death. Late strong opioid initiation (<18 weeks before death) was significantly associated with a lower number of hospitalization days and prior weak opioid exposure for patients with an inpatient death and, with older age, social, prior weak opioid exposure, and a prescription initiation by general practitioner for patients with an outpatient death. Our gained knowledge of opioid prescribing patterns in cancer patients during the last year of life might help to progress opioid analgesic treatment and to improve patient outcomes.

Instrument development of health providers' Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Hospice Care Scale in China

OBJECTIVE

To match the reform of hospice development in China, this study aimed to construct an indigenized health providers' Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Hospice Care (KAPHC) Scale in China with good validity and reliability.

METHODS

We used three steps to develop the scale, establishing items-pool firstly based on literature review and expert consultation, followed by forming a draft-scale design through synthetically consideration, and finally modifying the draft by conducting a self-administrative survey in sampled institution and testing the reliability and validity by statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The KAPHC Scale was comprised of 15 knowledge items, 24 attitude items and 22 practice items. In the part of knowledge, the Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.686, the average difficulty was 0.62 and average discrimination was 0.46. The attitude items were divided into four domains (KMO = 0.770), with Cronbach's α coefficient of 0.868. The practice items included confidence of practices and self-reported behaviors (KMO = 0.732), with Cronbach's α coefficient of 0.958.

CONCLUSION

The KAPHC Scale demonstrated good validity and reliability. As an effective tool, the scale may contribute to assessing health providers' KAP status of hospice care and exploring their future education needs in mainland China.

Intensity of care for cancer patients treated mainly at home during the month before their death: An observational study

BACKGROUND

Little is known regarding healthcare for cancer patients treated mainly at home during the month before they die. The aim of this study was to provide information on how they were treated and what were their causes of death.

METHODS

This population-based observational study analysing information obtained from the French national healthcare data system (SNDS) included adult health insurance beneficiaries treated for cancer who died in 2015 after having spent at least 25 of their last 30 days at home.

RESULTS

Among the cancer patients who died in 2015, 25,463 (20%) were included [mean age (±SD) 74±13.2 years, men 62%]; 54% of them died at home. They were slightly older (75 vs. 73 years) than those who died in hospital, had less frequently received hospital palliative care during the year preceding their deaths (19% vs. 41%) and had less often used medical transport (41% vs. 73%) to an emergency department (8% vs. 62%), to hospital-based (11% vs. 17%) or community-based (16% vs. 12%) chemotherapy, to a general practitioner (73% vs. 78%) or to a community-based nursing service (63% vs. 73%). However, when they consulted a general practitioner (median 3 visits vs. 2) or a nurse (median 22 nursing procedures vs. 10) during their last month of life, visits were more frequent. The leading cause of death was tumour, which represented 69% of deaths at home vs. 74% of deaths in hospital.

CONCLUSIONS

In France, home management during the last month of life is uncommon and even when it is occurs, in one out of two cases patients pass away in a hospital setting. This study is an interrogation on medical choices, given the wish of many of the French to die at home and placing their choices in an international perspective.