Predictors and trajectories of ED visits among patients receiving palliative home care services: findings from a time series analysis (2013-2017)

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Abstract

Background

Current policies recommend integrating home care and palliative care to enable patients to remain at home and avoid unnecessary hospital admission and emergency department (ED) visits. The Italian health care system had implemented integrated palliative home care (IHPC) services to guarantee a comprehensive, coordinated approach across different actors and to reduce potentially avoidable ED visits. This study aimed to analyze the trajectories of ED visit rates among patients receiving IHPC in the Italian healthcare system, as well as the association between socio-demographic, health supply, and clinical factors.

Methods

A pooled, cross-sectional, time series analysis was performed in a large Italian region in the period 2013–2017. Data were taken from two databases of the official Italian National Information System: Home Care Services and ED use. A clinical record is opened at the time a patient is enrolled in IHPC and closed after the last service is provided. Every such clinical record was considered as an IHPC event, and only ED visits that occurred during IHPC events were considered.

Results

The 20,611 patients enrolled in IHPC during the study period contributed 23,085 IHPC events; ≥1 ED visit occurred during 6046 of these events. Neoplasms accounted for 89% of IHPC events and for 91% of ED visits. Although there were different variations in ED visit rates during the study period, a slight decline was observed for all diseases, and this decline accelerated over time (b = − 0.18, p = 0.796, 95% confidence interval [CI] = − 1.59;1.22, b-squared = − 1.25, p < 0.001, 95% CI = -1.63;-0.86). There were no significant predictors among the socio-demographic factors (sex, age, presence of a non-family caregiver, cohabitant family members, distance from ED), health supply factors (proponent of IHPC) and clinical factors (prevalent disorder at IHPC entry, clinical symptoms).

Conclusion

Our results show that use of ED continues after enrollment in IHPC, but the trend of this use declines over time. As no significant predictive factors were identified, no specific interventions can be recommended on which the avoidable ED visits depend.

Related collections

Most cited references 15

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In this review, we summarize and critically evaluate the major empirical, conceptual, and theoretical directions that studies of aging families have taken during the first decade of the 21st century. The field has benefited from an expanded perspective based on four overarching themes: (a) complexity in emotional relations, (b) diversity in family structures and households, (c) interdependence of family roles and functions, and (d) patterns and outcomes of caregiving. Although research on aging families has advanced theory and applied innovative statistical techniques, the literature has fallen short in fully representing diverse populations and in applying the broadest set of methodological tools available. We discuss these and other frontier areas of scholarship in light of the aging of baby boomers and their families.

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Patterns of access to community palliative care services: a literature review.

Catherine Walshe, Chris Todd, Ann L Caress … (2009)

Policies state that access to palliative care should be provided according to principles of equity. Such principles would include the absence of disparities in access to health care that are systematically associated with social advantage. A review of the literature a decade ago identified that patients with different characteristics used community palliative care services in variable ways that appeared inequitable. The objective of this literature review was to review recent literature to identify whether such variability remains. Searching included the use of electronic databases, scrutinizing bibliographies, and hand searching journals. Articles were included if they were published after 1997 (the date of the previous review) up to the beginning of 2008, and if they reported any data that investigated the characteristics of adult patients in relation to their relative utilization of community palliative care services, with reference to a comparator population. Forty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Patients still access community palliative care services in variable ways. Those who are older, male, from ethnic minority populations, not married, without a home carer, are socioeconomically disadvantaged, and who do not have cancer are all less likely to access community palliative care services. These studies do not identify the reasons for such variable access, or whether such variability is warranted with reference to clinical need or other factors. Studies tend to focus on access to specialist palliative care services without looking at the complexities of service use. Studies need to move beyond description of utilization patterns, and examine whether such patterns are inequitable, and what is happening in the referral or other processes that may result in such patterns.

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Are UK primary care teams formally identifying patients for palliative care before they die?

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The palliative care approach has the potential to improve care for patients with progressive life-threatening illnesses from the time of diagnosis. Policy and clinical directives in the UK advocate early identification. To determine the extent to which practices identify patients for palliative care, including factors influencing early identification and possible effects on place of death. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from six general practices from three Scottish NHS boards and analysed. Records of patients who had died in the previous 6 months were analysed and interviews with practice staff (n = 21) and with patients currently on the practice palliative care register and bereaved relatives (n = 14) were conducted. In addition, a practice meeting was observed. In total, 29% of patients who died were recorded as being on the practice palliative care register before death. Two-thirds of patients with cancer were recorded on the register, but for those with non-malignant conditions only around 20% had any palliative care documented. This was a result of GPs not finding the current guidelines useful and being reluctant to discuss palliative care overtly with patients early in their illness. Palliative care services and documentation were geared towards patients with cancer. More district nurses than GPs saw the benefits of inclusion on the palliative care register. Only 25% of patients on the register died in hospital. Most patients with advanced progressive illnesses, especially those with non-malignant disease, are not being formally identified for a palliative care approach before they die. Those identified are more likely to benefit from coordinated care and may be more likely to die at home.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Sara Campagna:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2722-1818

sara.campagna@unito.it

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): BMC Palliat Care

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): BMC Palliat Care

Title: BMC Palliative Care

Publisher: BioMed Central (London )

ISSN (Electronic): 1472-684X

Publication date (Electronic): 16 August 2020

Publication date PMC-release: 16 August 2020

Publication date Collection: 2020

Volume: 19

Electronic Location Identifier: 126

Affiliations

[1 ]GRID grid.7605.4, ISNI 0000 0001 2336 6580, Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, , University of Torino, ; Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Torino, Italy

[2 ]GRID grid.4800.c, ISNI 0000 0004 1937 0343, Department of Control and Computer Engineering, , Politecnico of Torino, ; Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy

[3 ]Regional Public Health Observatory (SEPI), Local Health Unit TO3, Via Sabaudia 164, 10095 Grugliasco (To), Italy

Author information

Sara Campagna http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2722-1818

Article

Publisher ID: 626

DOI: 10.1186/s12904-020-00626-w

PMC ID: 7429889

SO-VID: 903ccf27-0b85-484b-a6d6-30a4c48951e5

License:

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