Evaluating end-stage cancer patients' preferences for spending their final days at home or in hospital

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to explore the preferences of end-stage cancer patients regarding spending their final days at home or in a hospital, focusing on the impact of cancer types and symptoms necessitating palliative care admission during this period.Methods: The study was conducted with 274 patients diagnosed with end-stage cancer and admitted to the palliative service of Dr. İFC City Hospital in Tekirdağ province. Opinions were collected from all patients while they were fully conscious. The relationships between patients' preferences for their place of death and their age, gender, socioeconomic status, duration of stay in palliative care, admission complaints, and diagnoses were examined. A significance level of p lt;0.05 was considered statistically meaningful.Results: Approximately one-third of the participating patients preferred to die at home under home care supervision. It was found that these preferences were not influenced by the patients' age, gender, socioeconomic status, or duration of stay in palliative care but were affected by their cancer diagnoses and symptoms leading to admission. Patients with pancreatic cancer preferred to die in the hospital, while those with prostate and breast cancer were more likely to choose home death. Conclusion: If a system equipped with an effective planned home care program, managed by a multidisciplinary team in palliative care services, can be provided to meet the needs of patients and caregivers when they approach hospitals in their final stages, it could enable the right group of patients to spend their end-of-life at home, in accordance with their preferences.

Keywords

• terminal cancer
• home care
• palliative care
• place of death
• terminal kanser
• evde bakım
• palyatif bakım
• ölüm yeri