Cancer Patients Who Elect to Die at Home Live Longer
|
By HospiMedica International staff writers Posted on 12 Apr 2016 |
|
Terminal cancer patients who choose to die at home live longer than those who choose to die at a hospital, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Tsukuba (Japan), Tohoku University (Japan), and other institutions across Japan conducted a multicenter, prospective cohort study from September 2012 through April 2014 in 58 specialist palliative care services to explore the potential differences in the survival time of cancer patients dying at home or in a hospital. In all, the study recruited 2,426 patients, of which 2,069 patients were analyzed; 1,582 receiving hospital-based palliative care and 487 receiving home-based palliative care.
The results revealed that eventually, 1,607 patients actually died in a hospital, and 462 patients died at home, with the survival time of patients who died at home significantly longer than the survival time of patients who died in a hospital. The median survival time was 13 days compared to 9 days in the daily prognosis group, and 36 days versus 29 days in the weekly prognosis group. No significant difference was found in the months' prognosis group. The study was published on March 28, 2016, in Cancer.
“Patients and their families tend to worry that home care won’t provide the quality of care that a hospital will. However, spending the last days or months at home doesn’t necessarily mean life would be shortened,” said lead author Jun Hamano, MD, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Tsukuba. “Patients, families, and clinicians should be reassured that good home hospice care does not shorten patient life, and even may achieve longer survival.”
Most patients with advanced cancer would prefer to die at home, and many people in the United States, United Kingdom, and other countries are realizing this wish. But in other countries, such as Japan, Germany, Greece, and Portugal a trend towards institutionalized dying persists. But despite trends, the most frequent location of death for those dying from cancer is still a hospital, with marked variations in the odds of home death depending on illness-related, individual, and environmental factors.
Related Links:
University of Tsukuba
Tohoku University
Researchers at the University of Tsukuba (Japan), Tohoku University (Japan), and other institutions across Japan conducted a multicenter, prospective cohort study from September 2012 through April 2014 in 58 specialist palliative care services to explore the potential differences in the survival time of cancer patients dying at home or in a hospital. In all, the study recruited 2,426 patients, of which 2,069 patients were analyzed; 1,582 receiving hospital-based palliative care and 487 receiving home-based palliative care.
The results revealed that eventually, 1,607 patients actually died in a hospital, and 462 patients died at home, with the survival time of patients who died at home significantly longer than the survival time of patients who died in a hospital. The median survival time was 13 days compared to 9 days in the daily prognosis group, and 36 days versus 29 days in the weekly prognosis group. No significant difference was found in the months' prognosis group. The study was published on March 28, 2016, in Cancer.
“Patients and their families tend to worry that home care won’t provide the quality of care that a hospital will. However, spending the last days or months at home doesn’t necessarily mean life would be shortened,” said lead author Jun Hamano, MD, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Tsukuba. “Patients, families, and clinicians should be reassured that good home hospice care does not shorten patient life, and even may achieve longer survival.”
Most patients with advanced cancer would prefer to die at home, and many people in the United States, United Kingdom, and other countries are realizing this wish. But in other countries, such as Japan, Germany, Greece, and Portugal a trend towards institutionalized dying persists. But despite trends, the most frequent location of death for those dying from cancer is still a hospital, with marked variations in the odds of home death depending on illness-related, individual, and environmental factors.
Related Links:
University of Tsukuba
Tohoku University
Gold Member
Real-Time Diagnostics Onscreen Viewer
GEMweb Live
Electric Bed
DIXION Intensive Care Bed
Half Apron
Demi
Latest Critical Care News
- 3D-Printed Bandage to Help Heal Chronic Wounds
- Ultrasound-Activated Nanoagents Kill Superbugs Hiding in Biofilms
- Painless Microneedle Skin Patch Monitors Immune Health
- Smart T-Shirt Uses AI to Enhance Detection of Heart Rhythm Disorders
- Aptamers Enable Real-Time Biomarker Tracking Without Blood Draws
- Specialized Dressing with Sensor Monitors pH Levels in Chronic Wounds
- AI Model Could Help Diagnose Spinal Cord Disease Up To 30 Months Earlier
- 3D-Printed Swallowable Robot Could Perform Gastrointestinal Procedures
- Next-Gen Hydrogel Could Transform Soft Tissue and Organ Repair
- Engineered Cancer Eating Bacteria Consume Tumors from Inside Out
- ‘Cyborg’ Transplants Could Replace Pancreatic Tissue Damaged by Diabetes
- Smartphone-Linked Catheter Sensor Spots UTIs Sooner Than Lab Cultures
- AI Tool Identifies Trauma Patients Requiring Blood Transfusions Before Reaching Hospital
- New Clinical Guidelines to Reduce Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection
- New Inhalable Treatment for TB Lowers Side Effects
- AI Algorithm Improves Antibiotic Decision-Making in Urinary Tract Infection
Channels
Artificial Intelligence
view channel
Surgical Techniques
view channel
Fluorescence Probe Paired with Engineered Enzymes Lights Up Tumors for Easier Surgical Removal
Successful cancer surgery relies on a surgeon’s ability to remove tumors while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible. To assist with this, surgeons often use fluorescent dyes that cause cancer... Read more
Minimally Invasive Procedure Effectively Treats Small Kidney Cancers
Small kidney cancers are increasingly detected during routine CT scans performed for other medical evaluations. These early-stage tumors, classified as T1a renal cell carcinoma, are typically treated with... Read more
Patient Care
view channel
Revolutionary Automatic IV-Line Flushing Device to Enhance Infusion Care
More than 80% of in-hospital patients receive intravenous (IV) therapy. Every dose of IV medicine delivered in a small volume (<250 mL) infusion bag should be followed by subsequent flushing to ensure... Read more
VR Training Tool Combats Contamination of Portable Medical Equipment
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) impact one in every 31 patients, cause nearly 100,000 deaths each year, and cost USD 28.4 billion in direct medical expenses. Notably, up to 75% of these infections... Read more
Portable Biosensor Platform to Reduce Hospital-Acquired Infections
Approximately 4 million patients in the European Union acquire healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) or nosocomial infections each year, with around 37,000 deaths directly resulting from these infections,... Read more
First-Of-Its-Kind Portable Germicidal Light Technology Disinfects High-Touch Clinical Surfaces in Seconds
Reducing healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) remains a pressing issue within global healthcare systems. In the United States alone, 1.7 million patients contract HAIs annually, leading to approximately... Read moreHealth IT
view channel
EMR-Based Tool Predicts Graft Failure After Kidney Transplant
Kidney transplantation offers patients with end-stage kidney disease longer survival and better quality of life than dialysis, yet graft failure remains a major challenge. Although a successful transplant... Read more
Printable Molecule-Selective Nanoparticles Enable Mass Production of Wearable Biosensors
The future of medicine is likely to focus on the personalization of healthcare—understanding exactly what an individual requires and delivering the appropriate combination of nutrients, metabolites, and... Read more
Business
view channel
Medtronic to Acquire Coronary Artery Medtech Company CathWorks
Medtronic plc (Galway, Ireland) has announced that it will exercise its option to acquire CathWorks (Kfar Saba, Israel), a privately held medical device company, which aims to transform how coronary artery... Read more
Medtronic and Mindray Expand Strategic Partnership to Ambulatory Surgery Centers in the U.S.
Mindray North America and Medtronic have expanded their strategic partnership to bring integrated patient monitoring solutions to ambulatory surgery centers across the United States. The collaboration... Read more
FDA Clearance Expands Robotic Options for Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery
Cardiovascular disease remains the world’s leading cause of death, with nearly 18 million fatalities each year, and more than two million patients undergo open-heart surgery annually, most involving sternotomy.... Read more