Letting end-of-life patients enjoy the time they have left at home would increase the number of days left to live, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Cancer.
Researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan performed a study with 2,069 patients, including 1,582 patients receiving inpatient palliative care and 487 home palliative care.
Palliative home care works
The results of the study showed that the survival of patients who died at home was significantly longer than that of hospitalized patients, even after adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics of patients, as well as other risk factors.
“The patient with Cancer and as well as the family tend to fear that the quality of medical care given at home is inferior to that given in a hospital and that survival could be shortened. Our conclusion reveals that patients who stay at home are well cared for and live longer, “said Dr Hamano.” Patients, families and clinicians should be reassured by the quality of palliative care at home. They do not shorten the life of the patient. They may even offer longer survival. “
The results of this study suggest that oncologists should not hesitate to offer palliative home care patients simply because medical treatment can be provided and is no less good.
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