Deaths from heart failure and cancer: location trends

Place of Death for Israeli Cancer Patients Over a 20-Year Period: Reducing Hospital Deaths, but Barriers Remain

BACKGROUND

Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide. While the main focus of palliative care (PC) is quality of life, the elements that comprise the quality of death are often overlooked. Dying at home, with home-hospice-care (HHC) support, rather than in-hospital, may increase patient satisfaction and decrease the use of invasive measures. We examined clinical and demographic characteristics associated with out-of-hospital death among patients with cancer, which serves as a proxy measure for HHC deaths.

METHODS

Using death certification data from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, we analyzed 209,158 cancer deaths between 1998 and 2018 in Israel including demographic information, cause of death, and place of death (POD). A multiple logistic regression model was constructed to identify factors associated with out-of-hospital cancer deaths.

RESULTS

Between 1998 and 2018, 69.1% of cancer deaths occurred in-hospital, and 30.8% out-of-hospital. Out-of-hospital deaths increased by 1% annually during the study period. Older patients and those dying of solid malignancies were more likely to die out-of-hospital (OR = 2.65, OR = 1.93, respectively). Likelihood of dying out-of-hospital varied with area of residency; patients living in the Southern district were more likely than those in the Jerusalem district to die out-of-hospital (OR = 2.37).

CONCLUSION

The proportion of cancer deaths occurring out-of-hospital increased during the study period. We identified clinical and demographic factors associated with POD. Differences between geographical areas probably stem from disparity in the distribution of PC services and highlight the need for increasing access to primary EOL care. However, differences in age and tumor type probably reflect cultural changes and suggest focusing on educating patients, families, and physicians on the benefits of PC.

Association between immigrant status and advanced cancer patients' location and quality of death

Background

Cancer patients often prefer to die at home, a location associated with better quality of death (QoD). Several studies demonstrate disparities in end‐of‐life care among immigrant populations in the United States. This study aimed to evaluate how immigrant status affects location and quality of death among patients with advanced cancer in the United States.

Methods

Data were derived from Coping with Cancer, a federally funded multi‐site prospective study of advanced cancer patients and caregivers. The sample of patients who died during the study period was weighted (N_w = 308) to reduce statistically significant differences between immigrant (N_w = 49) and nonimmigrant (N_w = 259) study participants. Primary outcomes were location of death, death at preferred location, and poor QoD.

Results

Analyses adjusted for covariates indicated that patients who were immigrants were more likely to die in a hospital than home (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 3.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65–6.71) and less likely to die where they preferred (AOR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.20–0.90). Furthermore, immigrants were more likely to have poor QoD (AOR, 5.47; 95% CI, 2.70–11.08).

Conclusions

Immigrants, as compared to nonimmigrants, are more likely to die in hospital settings, less likely to die at their preferred location, and more likely to have poor QoD.

Lay summary

Cancer patients typically prefer to die in their own homes, which is associated with improved quality of death.

However, disparities in end‐of‐life care among immigrant populations in the United States remain significant.

Our study found that immigrants are less likely to die in their preferred locations and more likely to die in hospital settings, resulting in poorer quality of death.

Disparities in end‐of‐life care and quality of death are prevalent among immigrants. The findings of this study illustrate that immigrants in the United States are more likely to die in hospital settings and less likely to die at their preferred location.

Approaching End-of-Life Decisions in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease

PURPOSE

Despite tremendous advances in medical and surgical care, some adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) develop terminal conditions where therapy is limited. This paper reviews the important role of palliative care, advance care planning (ACP), and end-of-life (EOL) care in ACHD.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent studies suggest that ACP is infrequently utilized in ACHD. Patients generally express interest in learning more about EOL care, though few ACHD providers have received adequate training to confidently conduct these discussions. Most barriers to communication are largely addressable, and an organized approach to ACP that encourages active patient participation followed by clear documentation is more likely to be successful. Palliative care appears complementary to standard medical care and can be introduced at any stage of illness, with proven benefit in similar patient populations. ACP is an important part of the routine care for all ACHD. Patient preferences should be identified early and palliative methods incorporated whenever necessary.