Community prescribing for cancer patients at the end of life: a national study.
cancer
terminal care
Journal
BMJ supportive & palliative care
ISSN: 2045-4368
Titre abrégé: BMJ Support Palliat Care
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101565123
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
07 Dec 2023
07 Dec 2023
Historique:
received:
01
02
2021
revised:
09
04
2021
accepted:
14
04
2021
pubmed:
5
6
2021
medline:
5
6
2021
entrez:
4
6
2021
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Good end-of-life care is essential to ensure dignity and comfort in death. To our knowledge, there has not been a national population-based study in England of community prescribing of all drugs used in end-of-life care for patients with cancer. 57 632 people who died from malignant cancer in their own home or in a care home in 2017 in England were included in this study. National routinely collected data were used to examine community prescriptions dispensed for drugs for symptom control and anticipatory prescribing by key sociodemographic factors in the last 4 months of life. 94% of people who died received drugs to control their symptoms and 65% received anticipatory prescribing. Prescribing increased for the symptom control drug group (53% to 75%) and the anticipatory prescribing group (4% to 52%) over the 4-month period to death. Most individuals who died of cancer in their own home or a care home were dispensed drugs commonly used to control symptoms at the end of life, as recommended by best-practice guidance. Lower prescribing activity was found for those who died in a care home, highlighting a potential need for improved end-of-life service planning.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Good end-of-life care is essential to ensure dignity and comfort in death. To our knowledge, there has not been a national population-based study in England of community prescribing of all drugs used in end-of-life care for patients with cancer.
METHODS
METHODS
57 632 people who died from malignant cancer in their own home or in a care home in 2017 in England were included in this study. National routinely collected data were used to examine community prescriptions dispensed for drugs for symptom control and anticipatory prescribing by key sociodemographic factors in the last 4 months of life.
RESULTS
RESULTS
94% of people who died received drugs to control their symptoms and 65% received anticipatory prescribing. Prescribing increased for the symptom control drug group (53% to 75%) and the anticipatory prescribing group (4% to 52%) over the 4-month period to death.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
Most individuals who died of cancer in their own home or a care home were dispensed drugs commonly used to control symptoms at the end of life, as recommended by best-practice guidance. Lower prescribing activity was found for those who died in a care home, highlighting a potential need for improved end-of-life service planning.
Identifiants
pubmed: 34083319
pii: bmjspcare-2021-002952
doi: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2021-002952
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
e361-e372Informations de copyright
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Competing interests: None declared.