Access to Palliative Care Among Patients Treated at a Comprehensive Cancer Center

Abstract

Background. Palliative care (PC) is a critical component of comprehensive cancer care. Previous studies on PC access have mostly examined the timing of PC referral. The proportion of patients who actually receive PC is unclear. We determined the proportion of cancer patients who received PC at our comprehensive cancer center and the predictors of PC referral.Methods. We reviewed the charts of consecutive patients with advanced cancer from the Houston region seen at MD Anderson Cancer Center who died between September 2009 and February 2010. We compared patients who received PC services with those who did not receive PC services before death.Results. In total, 366 of 816 (45%) decedents had a PC consultation. The median interval between PC consultation and death was 1.4 months (interquartile range, 0.5-4.2

The Frequency and Factors Associated With the Use of a Dedicated Supportive Care Center Telephone Triaging Program in Patients With Advanced Cancer at a Comprehensive Cancer Center

“…There are a number of possible explanations for this, including shorter length of follow-up, higher frequency of delirium, and perhaps less familiarity of IPs compared with OPs with the OP supportive care center, the site from where SCCTP calls are made (Table 1). 26,27 Our results suggest that much more education, such as brochure, a short film, or reminders, are necessary especially among the IPs who are discharged and their caregivers so as to encourage them to take advantage of this program. Further research is warranted.…”

ReCAP: Attitudes, Beliefs, and Awareness of Graduate Medical Education Trainees Regarding Palliative Care at a Comprehensive Cancer Center

“…3,6 However, only a minority of patients with advanced cancer receive referrals to PC, and those often occur late in the trajectory of illness. [9][10][11][12][13] One study suggests that academic training has a positive impact on the knowledge of future physicians regarding PC.…”

Early Palliative Care and Its Role in Oncology: A Qualitative Study

“…P-221i on providing care for inpatients, with variable access to outpatient palliative care clinics [3,38,39]. In a recent survey, palliative care clinics were available at 59% of National Cancer Institute (NCI) centersand22%ofnon-NCIcenters [38].Evenatcenterswithaccess tosuchclinics,referralstendtooccurlateinthediseaseprocess [40], althoughoncologistswith palliativecaretrainingtendtoreferearlier in the course of illness [3]. One reason for late referrals is the faulty perception by those providing and receiving cancer care that palliative care is synonymous with "end-of-life" care [41][42][43][44].…”